Just a Jock
by DoofusPrime
Summary: Brick Flagg: Middleton Mad Dogs quarterback, Bonnie Rockwaller's boyfriend, a bit dense. When another girl catches his eye and he finds himself involved in Kim and Ron's line of work, Brick has to ask himself whether or not he really is just a jock.
1. Follower

**Just a Jock**, by DoofusPrime

_**Notes**: This story won the "Best Alternative Pairing" category of the 2010 Fannie Awards, which are fan awards for the show found on the Kim Possible forum. Thanks to everyone who voted for it! This story takes place a little while after the episode "Partners" but it is not necessary to have seen that episode to read the story. Thanks to Neo the Saiyan Angel for looking over many of these chapters for me._

___**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. This work was not created for profit. No copyright infringement is intended._

* * *

**Follower**

XX

"Are you _seriously_ going to order that?"

The sound of Bonnie Rockwaller's voice stopped Brick Flagg dead in the middle of his order.

"What's wrong with a cheese steak combo meal?"

Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "Um, quarterback of the Middleton Mad Dogs, eating a cheese steak? I don't think so. Why don't we stick to the diet I made for you, sweetie?"

Brick sighed. "Sure Bonnie. Hey buddy, can you cancel that last order?" The cashier nodded, punching in a few keys. Brick watched forlornly as his order total disappeared from the register's monitor. "Can I just get a Caesar salad order instead?"

"Yes sir."

Brick Flagg and his girlfriend only had to wait a few moments before his order was ready, but Bonnie's eye rolling and toe tapping implied it was an eternity. She did not like to wait, and since Brick was the only one ordering anything to eat, she was doing it for no reason. The cashier finally placed a tray of food on the counter. "Here you are, sir. Have a nice day!"

"Thanks, dude."

Brick attempted to maneuver his hands under the tray and balance it while still clutching the sizable collection of shopping bags he was holding for Bonnie. His girlfriend led him impatiently into the food court area of the Middleton Mall, where they chose an empty table. Brick performed his balancing act in reverse as he set the tray back down and untangled the shopping bags from his hands. Brick had to be strong to be a quarterback, but as far as he was concerned, shopping with Bonnie was still a workout.

"See, isn't that better?" Bonnie asked as her boyfriend munched on a mouthful of greens.

"Yes Bonnie."

Bonnie smiled. She knew what was best; sometimes Brick was just silly and forgot that. "Anyways, what were we talking about before you got so hungry? Oh, right, Kim! So you just won't believe this. The other day we were working on this cheer routine, and I said 'K, why don't we try it with me in the lead for that first part?' And then Kim goes 'Bonnie, we've been through this before, I'm the team captain.' Like she can't even let go for one measly part of the routine!"

Brick nodded, but he was not paying much attention. His attention drifted away as Bonnie's syllables slipped into the background noise of the food court. Bonnie had been complaining about Kim for the entire afternoon with almost no breaks. It was a routine that Brick had long since grown used to, but judging by Bonnie's foul mood, cheer practice at school that day must have been more vicious than usual.

Brick's eyes wandered over various mall passersby as they ate at the food court and walked past outlets in search of good deals. The mall was fairly crowded since it was just after school and various groups of teens were mingled amongst the older mall shoppers. One middle-aged woman had a downcast looking husband and several young children trailing in a chain behind her. The family reminded Brick of a line of ducklings following their mother.

The family walked by the Earring World outlet, and Brick noticed the pretty young cashier inside giving him a smile and a wave. He returned the smile. Bonnie had often visited Earring World in the past with Brick in tow, but ever since the cashier started working there she began to avoid the outlet for some reason. Brick was a little disappointed; he enjoyed shopping at Earring World. Maybe because there was something oddly hypnotic about the girl's earrings. Those hoops. . . so round. . .

"Excuse me, Brick? Are you paying attention to me?"

Brick's trance was shattered. "What?"

"Kim? I was just talking about how if Kim had a boyfriend, she'd be ordering him around just like she does with Ron."

"Oh, right."

Bonnie looked over to the Earring World outlet suspiciously as she realized where Brick had been staring. "It's that girl again, isn't it? Every time we come here! Get up sweetie, let's switch to a new table where we're not in range of the she-demon."

Bonnie moved to a table in the corner of the food court as Brick trailed behind her with his tray and shopping bags. "Brick, I have to go use the little girl's room. Watch my shopping bags. And don't move away from the table, even if that girl comes out here. Just don't look at the hoops!" Bonnie approached the hallway that led to the bathrooms in such a way that she was almost walking backwards in order to keep an eye on Brick. He sighed in relief as she disappeared. Bonnie was worse than usual today.

The Earring World outlet was still viewable from Brick's new position, but he could not see the girl with the hoop earrings inside anymore. He didn't mind much; it was not as if anything was going to happen with her anyway. Brick had chatted with her a few times in the past. She was nice enough and definitely attractive, but despite the allure of her dazzling earrings, he did not think she was his type.

He was not the type to cheat when he was in a relationship with Bonnie either. Even if that relationship was losing its appeal, fast. Despite repeated breakups and reunions, Brick had dated Bonnie for a while, and he was beginning to feel trapped in a loop from which he could not escape. Not to mention that recently, someone else had been starting to catch his eye.

Brick was finishing his Caesar salad when he noticed a familiar pair of heads passing through a crowd of shoppers on the edge of the food court. A shock of sandy blond hair topped one head, while fiery red flowed down the other. "Hey, Kim, Ron! Over here!" he shouted.

The two heads turned to the sound of his voice. Kim and Ron emerged from the throng of shoppers and walked up to Brick's table. "Hey Brick," said Kim.

"What are you guys up to?"

"Not too much. Ron and I just wanted to do a little shopping and hang out. Ron was helping me pick out some stuff at Club Banana."

"Oh, sweet. Me and Bonnie are going to stop by there in a minute and do a little shopping too. Monique works there, doesn't she?"

"That's right. She's working there right now, actually."

Brick's eyes lit up with a twinkle that did not go unnoticed by Kim. "Why do you ask?" she said.

"Uh, no reason. Just wondering, is all." Brick tried to feign indifference. "So Ron, you looking forward to the big game?"

"You know it! Mad Dogs in the hooouse!" Ron made a gesture with his hand that could have been some kind of representation of a dog, or a gang sign; Brick couldn't tell, and neither could Kim judging by the way she was looking at Ron.

"Awesome, dude. It's not a football game without the banana cream foam."

"You got that right!"

Ron was about to say something else when he jumped in the air like a jack-in-the-box. A shadow descended over Brick's table, and he looked up to see Bonnie standing over him with an extremely displeased look. "Brick, what are you doing talking to these two losers?"

"They were just stopping by for a second."

"I see. Well, hi Kim, hi Ron. Brick and I are going shopping. I hope you'll excuse us if we don't stop and chat."

Kim nodded. "Of course. By the way, that was a good cheer practice today, Bonnie."

Bonnie let out a nearly inaudible hiss. "Yes. Yes it was." The two girls stared at each other silently for a long stretch of time. Brick and Ron both looked at each other as if considering how far they could run if they had to vacate the area in the event of an all-out cheerleader assault. Finally, Kim broke the standoff by grabbing Ron by the arm and dragging him away into a crowd of passing shoppers. Bonnie sat back down at the table and crossed her arms.

"Talking to Kim, are we Brick?"

"Yup."

"I hope I'm not going to see another 'Quarterback thinks Kim Possible is H.O.T.' headline in the school newspaper."

Brick was annoyed by Bonnie's comment. He had been excited by the idea of dating Kim Possible at the time, and when she had tried to reject him, Brick had awkwardly pretended that he was turning her down to protect his own feelings. It was not a great memory, but what was more, it was in the past.

"Bonnie, you know I'm not interested in Kim anymore. You and me weren't even going out then! And besides, that's not what the title -"

"Yes it was. It's exactly what the article was titled. I don't know why you're so friendly with Ron, either. Aren't you worried that people are going to see you talking with him?"

"Come on Bonnie, he's not that bad. Everybody loves his Mad Dog routine."

Bonnie's eyes went wide. "You can't be serious! That routine is a canine catastrophe. School spirit does _not_ come in foam form. Anyway, are you done eating? I want to go to Club Banana now."

XX

Brick watched his girlfriend sift through rows of dresses at the high-end clothing section of Club Banana. Bonnie had more than enough clothing at her house, but Brick knew she had to pick something special for the party they would be attending later that night. Bonnie always had to pick out a new dress for a party – it was a fashion rule.

Brick was fairly certain that the party was being thrown by Bonnie's friend and fellow cheerleader, Tara King. He wasn't sure how close their friendship really was – the two girls had known each other for a long time, but Brick thought they were fairly different in character, which made him wonder how close they were. Bonnie was a very outspoken, driven person, if Brick wanted to put it nicely, while Tara was more soft-spoken and gentle.

Not only that, but Brick had the impression that maybe Tara was a follower who let herself get led around by Bonnie. Someone who was nice, but who wanted to fit in and avoid causing a stir. In the world of jocks and cheerleaders, that meant sticking to the Bonnie party line. Maybe Tara wasn't that different from himself, Brick thought ruefully.

He noticed that Bonnie was looking at a particularly attractive purple dress. "Hey, I like that one. It would go pretty good with your necklace and earrings."

Bonnie smiled condescendingly. "Sweetie, you're not exactly a fashion genius. Let's leave the accessorizing to the professionals, okay?" She added the dress to a collection that she had already gathered and picked them all up. "I'm going to go into the changing rooms now. Amuse yourself out here until I get back!"

As Bonnie disappeared into the women's changing room, Brick noticed a certain Club Banana cashier watching him from behind the cash register. He sauntered over and leaned against the counter, giving her his most charming smile. "Hey Monique!"

"Hey Brick. How's it going? Out with your lady, I see."

"Yeah, she's just getting a dress for the party tonight. You gonna be there?"

Monique shrugged. "Maybe. We gotta do that assignment with our partners that Barkin slapped on us by Monday though. I was thinking maybe I'd get a head start on that tonight."

"I was planning on that myself, but I don't know if Bonnie will give me any time this afternoon to work with my partner before we go to the party."

Monique looked amused. "Girl's got you on a short leash, huh? Well, at least you don't have Ron as a study partner. If you've seen that boy's work ethic, it ain't pretty. You might as well be working solo!"

Brick laughed. He glanced nervously over at the women's changing rooms; Bonnie was apparently still absorbed in comparing dresses to each other and picking out the perfect one. As long as Bonnie could take when it came to fashion choices, Brick knew he didn't have much time until she came out again. He looked at Monique and realized that this was an opportunity. Maybe Brick needed to stop being a follower. Maybe he needed to just take the ball and run with it.

"Hey Monique, since we were talking about partners. . . you're pretty big into the whole gossip thing, right? I mean, you know what's going on in school, who's interested in who, that kind of thing?"

"I guess you could say that."

"What do you know about my partner, Justine Flanner?"


	2. Spinning the Bottle

**Spinning the Bottle**

XX

"Justine Flanner?"

Monique's curiosity was piqued. Why in the world would Brick Flagg be interested in Justine Flanner?

"Yeah, I've got my science project with her."

"You got a thing for her or something?"

Brick considered his response. He wasn't quite sure what he felt yet, but there was definitely a spark of some kind. At least from his perspective.

"Well, I dunno. She's pretty smart. I was just wondering if you knew anything about her, though."

"Smart, huh?" Monique sounded skeptical. "You into that?"

Brick felt himself starting to regret approaching Monique. It was no wonder she was looking at him like he had said something ridiculous. He was a quarterback. There was no reason for him to be interested in a physics whiz. Not only that, but Brick began to wonder if he had just set a trap for himself. People generally thought of Monique as someone who knew of every social development that happened at Middleton High. Someone who knew all the gossip. Perhaps someone who could spread gossip herself.

"Uh, hey Monique? You mind if we keep this between us?"

"My lips are sealed, big boy. So what's going on, are you thinking about leaving Bonnie or something?"

Brick and Monique jerked back in fright as Bonnie materialized out of nowhere, her hand resting menacingly on the store counter.

"Hey Monique. Did I hear you say something about me?"

Monique nodded. "Yep. Me and Brick here were just talking about what a sharp sense of fashion you have, girl!"

"Oh." Bonnie looked down at her newly chosen dress, which she had slipped into while she was in the changing room. "So kind of you to notice. I'm ready to check out now, ring me up."

"Uh, you're wearing the merchandise."

Bonnie sighed in exasperation. "Well, that's what I bought it for, isn't it? Cut my tag off!" She leaned awkwardly over the counter and twisted her neck towards Monique, who managed to cut the tag off with a pair of scissors and ring it up.

"Cash or credit?"

"Um, _credit_? Do I look like a homeless person to you?"

Monique tried and failed to interpret the comment.

"Come on, Brickie-poo! It's time to go to my house and get ready for the party." Bonnie looked at Monique dismissively. "Um, are you going?"

"Maybe."

"That's wonderful."

Brick felt himself lurch away as Bonnie grabbed his arm and led him towards the store exit. "Bonnie, you know I gotta study with Justine for a bit before the party."

"Ugh, seriously? Can't you just let her do all the work?"

"That'd be uncool."

"Alright, whatever. I'll take you to nerd girl's house."

Brick managed to get a wave in at Monique before he left the store. "See you Monique!"

"See you Brick."

Monique shook her head sympathetically as she watched the hulking quarterback disappear into the crowd, as much as someone of Brick's size could. As far as she could tell, Brick was a nice guy, but boy did he know how to get himself into trouble.

XX

"Can't you just do all the work yourself?"

Justine sighed at her mother's question. "Yes mother, I can do it all myself very easily, but we're working with partners so I have to wait for Brick to come over."

"What kind of a name is Brick, anyway?"

"My study partner's name."

"I just don't like you waiting so long to finish something, honey. It's not like you to still be working on a project that's due in a few days."

"It was only assigned a week ago, mother."

Leona Flanner looked over her glasses at her daughter with a severe expression. "Well, as long as you get it finished quickly so you can move on to your other work."

As her mother left the living room, Justine sighed with relief and refocused her attention to the book she was reading. It was true that she could have finished the science project by herself already, and she didn't really care about letting her partner contribute. After all, Kim was much more intelligent than Brick Flagg, and Justine had shut Kim out of her Kinematic Continuum Disruptor project, although perhaps she had underestimated Kim's intelligence. Justine was fairly certain, however, that she was in no danger of underestimating Brick Flagg.

Still, she was waiting for him to arrive before starting the project. Justine was certain that Brick had nothing to contribute, but she wanted him there anyway. She supposed it was just for the eye candy factor. Justine had to admit that Brick was easy on the eyes. She was willing to bet that he could probably lift her with one arm.

The sound of a doorbell pierced through the silent living room. Justine put down her book and got up to answer the door before her mother could get to it and embarrass her somehow. She opened the doorway to find Brick, holding a handful of notes. Standing next to Bonnie Rockwaller.

"Hi Justine Flanner. I'm here to drop my boyfriend off."

"Hello, Bonnie. I see that."

"You two behave yourselves. No funny business!" Bonnie cackled at her joke. "And by the way, Brick has to go to a party later tonight at Tara King's house. He can walk there from here, but don't keep him too long. I don't suppose you'll be coming along, Justine?"

Before Justine could respond, Bonnie laughed again and walked back towards her car with a wave.

"Come in, Brick."

As the quarterback walked past Justine into the living room, she admired his sculpted body. It was a shame he didn't have much else to offer. She could look at Brick all day, although she would never say that out loud to anyone. She had an image to maintain, after all.

"I brought some notes along. I printed them off the internet! There was a site with a lot of formulas on it that looked useful."

Justine smiled. He was almost endearing. "Thanks Brick. I'm sure those will come in handy." She sat down in front of the living room table where she had already gathered some supplies and papers. Brick added his notes to the side of the table. Justine began to sift through some of her own notes, ignoring the ones that Brick put down.

"So how come we're just doing a volcano this time? Didn't you make that awesome space ripper thing last time?"

"Yes, the Kinematic Continuum Disruptor. It rips a hole in the fabric of space and time."

"Yeah, that. Isn't a volcano like a step down or something?"

Justine nodded. It was certainly a step down, but Mr. Barkin had not been happy with the monstrous results of her previous science project. While the other students were mainly doing paperwork with their partners, Justine had to redo her project before the class ended to avoid getting a grade that would set her mother off in a frenzy. She couldn't believe she was narrowly avoiding a failing grade on an assignment where she managed to tear the space-time continuum apart, but that was Barkin for you.

Justine was still allowed to pick her project - within limits - and she knew Barkin had a soft spot for baking soda volcanoes, so she was going for the safe bet. Brick Flagg had been assigned to her instead of Kim because he needed extra credit, and because – Justine suspected – Barkin saw Kim as an accomplice to the unfortunate dinosaur summoning. She had no idea how Kim was making up for their previous project.

Brick shrugged. "Well, at least we won't get almost eaten this time." He watched as Justine began to write down notes on a piece of paper, peering interestedly over her shoulder. "What are you writing?"

"Just some equations." Justine didn't have the heart to tell Brick that a baking soda volcano was not a multiple day project; she was adding a little of her own flair to it.

"So, can I ask you something, Justine?"

"Sure."

"How did you get to be so smart?"

Justine blushed. She liked the question, but she wasn't sure how to answer. "I just am, I guess. My parents are smart too, and I work hard. You know I was already published in peer reviewed physics journals by the eighth grade?"

"Whoa. I dunno what 'peer reviewed' means, but that's awesome!"

Justine nodded. "It _is_ pretty awesome."

The two teens were interrupted by the appearance of Leona Flanner with a tray that held cookies and two glasses of lemonade. "I thought I'd bring the two of you some refreshments. Nice to see you again, Brick."

"Hey Justine's mom, what's up!"

Leona gave Brick a once-over. "You said you were the quarterback of the Middleton Mad Dogs, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Hmm." Leona stood with her arms crossed stiffly together, a pensive look on her face. "I suppose I should let the two of you get back to your studies."

Justine took a sip of lemonade. She was a little amused by hr mother's behavior. Justine was no mind reader, but her best guess was that her mother disapproved of the very existence of a football player in her household, much less near her daughter. Justine knew that it was hard to slip much past her mother, who had probably noticed the fact that Brick had been over several times for what should have been a simplistic project. Perhaps her mother even thought they were secretly dating. Justine snorted at the thought.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

Brick looked at her notes again. "Oh hey, KClO3. That's potassium chlorate, isn't it? I remember that on the website I was checking out."

Justine looked at him in surprise. "Uh, yes, that's right." Perhaps the boy _could_ pick things up if he paid enough attention.

XX

Brick Flagg stood at the door to Tara's house and vibrated from the bass beat coming from within. Bonnie had gone to the party early to help Tara set things up, while Brick had walked over after he and Justine finished their work. By the looks of things, the party was already in full swing.

Ringing the doorbell and knocking was futile; the music and excited screeching coming from inside was loud enough to drown out any of Brick's attempts to get someone's attention. He pressed his face against one of the two small windows that framed the doorway. Fortunately, the blinds were open and he could see inside.

"Hey! Can anybody in there hear me?"

Inside the house, Brick noticed Tara King walking by. She stopped in surprise when she saw the face pressed flat against the glass pane, and then opened the door with a beaming smile.

"Hey Brick!"

"Hey, how's it going?"

"Not bad, besides the stains all over my carpet."

Brick walked into the foyer, where the din of the party was amplified to such a level that he could barely hear his conversation with Tara. "That sucks! It looks like a pretty sweet party though."

Tara shrugged. "It's not really what I was expecting. Honestly it's Bonnie's party more than it is mine. My parents are gone on business and I wanted to have a few friends over, but Bonnie had other ideas."

"Really? She invited the whole school or something?"

"Pretty much!"

Brick walked through the gaming room of the house as Tara went off to join a group of girls. The room was crowded with people, the air muggy with body heat. Brick liked to talk to people, but he was not a fan of huge parties the way Bonnie was. He liked a little more breathing room.

Several people were crowded around a pool table, while another group sat down in front of a big screen television playing the latest edition of _Zombie Mayhem_. Brick noticed Kim sitting on the couch and watching Ron get brutalized by his gaming opponent. Brick noticed that the pool table was occupied by several of his athlete acquaintances, and it looked like they were in between games.

"Hey dudes, what's happening!" he said, grabbing a pool cue from the wall.

"Hey Brick." Jason Morgan slapped him on the back. "We're just about to start a new game. You in?"

"Sure."

One of Brick's football teammates, Eddie Jackson, set the billiard balls into place.

"You guys seen Bonnie anywhere?" asked Brick.

"Yeah, I think she's downstairs in the basement."

Brick took the first turn. He lined up a break shot and knocked the billiard balls apart, immediately sinking the cue ball into a pocket. Pool was not one of his strengths.

"So how come you got here so much later than Bonnie?" asked Jason.

"I was studying over at Justine Flanner's house."

The other players laughed. "Justine Flanner? Oooooh! Sounds like somebody's got a little something going on behind his girlfriend's back!"

"No way dudes! We were just studying."

"That's cool. She'd probably eat you alive if you were doing anything else."

Brick frowned. "Come on, she's not that bad. I remember Kim saying she's okay when you get to know her, and she's nice when we're studying. She's really smart too."

Eddie laughed. "Hoping it will rub off on you, Brick?"

Brick was stung by the comment, but he did not respond. Instead, he carefully lined up a shot, eyes squinting along the length of the pool cue, and sunk a billiard ball into the hole. He put the pool cue back on the wall. "I think I've had enough pool for now. Somebody else can take over." The other players shrugged at each other as they watched Brick walk off into the crowd of party goers.

"What's up with him?"

"I dunno man," said Jason, "but I wonder if he really does have a thing for Flanner?"

Eddie laughed. "She's like the nerdy version of Bonnie Rockwaller. He'd just be going from one battle axe to another."

Ron Stoppable, having given up on_ Zombie Mayhem_, appeared out of nowhere between the two athletes and wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders. "Haha, yeah, like going from Godzilla to King Ghidorah!"

The other pool players stared at Ron in confusion.

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?"

XX

Brick sat in the midst of a circle of students in Tara's basement. The circle's center was occupied by an empty bottle that lay on its side; Bonnie had apparently been setting up a game of spin the bottle while Brick had been upstairs. Bonnie was currently clinging to Brick's left arm, while Tara was sitting to his right. Monique was also sitting in the circle; she greeted Brick with a subtle wink.

"Hey guys," asked Tara, "has anyone seen Ron around?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "He's probably upstairs with Kim. I should have known you'd want _him_ to play this game."

"What's wrong with that? It's my party, at least that's what I thought."

"Yeah, that's why I couldn't stop you from inviting K and her lapdog here. Honestly Tara, look at all the gorgeous guys here! You could have any one of them."

Brick noticed Tara's shoulders slump. He knew that Tara had a bit of a thing for Ron Stoppable based on that various rants that Bonnie had given him on the subject in the past. As far as he was concerned, they would be kind of cute together.

"You ought to go get him and bring him down here, Tara."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, why not."

Bonnie gaped. "Why are you encouraging her, Brick?"

"She can do what she wants, Bonnie. If she likes Ron, she likes Ron."

Brick's comment seemed to make up Tara's mind. She sprinted up the stairs with barely concealed enthusiasm as Bonnie watched her with a huff. Some of the other players giggled at the scene – Tara's crush on Ron was not a very well-kept secret to anyone besides Ron. The players returned their attention to the game as a dark, well-manicured hand gave the bottle in the center of the circle a hard spin.

"Time for a little action!" Monique said with a glint in her eye.

The bottle spun, suspended in time for just a moment as the players watched it. Finally it slowed and came to rest upon Brick Flagg.

"Oh, me likey!" Monique crawled on all fours across the center of the ring and gave Brick Flagg a steaming kiss, making sure to watch Bonnie from the corner of her eye while she was doing it.

"Keep your hands where I can see them!" Bonnie cried out.

"You got it, girl." Monique grinned as she went back to her place in the circle, leaving Brick slightly out of breath.

A bright flash of platinum blonde hair raced down the basement stairs with Ron Stoppable in tow. "We're playing spin the bottle, Ron!" Tara exclaimed. She managed to wedge Ron into a small gap in the circle of players before resuming her own place.

"Hey ladies. No need to fear, the Ron man is here!"

"Who's turn is it now?" asked Tara. "Mine I guess." She grabbed the bottle before anyone else could object and spun it wildly, almost knocking it out of the circle. The players watched in suspense as it wound down to a stop. It was pointing at Bonnie Rockwaller.

The circle fell silent – particularly the male players - as they devoted their attention to the scene before them. It wasn't every day that they got to see two of Middleton's hottest cheerleaders kiss. Brick was watching closely as Bonnie leaned across the circle when he noticed Tara give her a strange look, almost as if Tara was daring her to watch something. Tara grabbed the bottle and pointed it at Ron. Bonnie's gasp united with that of the other players as Tara smirked, made her way across the center of the circle, and pulled Ron into an embrace that almost set him off balance. The kiss was fierce, and when Tara drew away, Ron looked like he had just woken up out of a coma.

Brick restrained himself from jumping up and pumping his fist in the air. He was glad to see Tara take some initiative, although he wasn't completely sure about whether Ron and Kim were just friends or not. Hopefully just friends. He noticed Bonnie staring off into space with a fuming expression and had to smirk. Tara had given her the equivalent of a slap in the face. Bonnie did not look happy about whatever had just happened.

XX

"Oh man, not again!"

Brick dropped the controller in exasperation as he watched his character being eaten alive on the television screen. Perhaps gaming wasn't his thing either. Brick wondered if football was his only talent. Some people could play video games. Some people could build devices that tore the fabric of space and time like cheap tissue paper. Brick could throw a ball.

"Those zombies keep eating my little guy!" Brick exclaimed. He was not used to gaming.

"Yes," said Ron. "You have to avoid their mouths!"

"Thanks for the advice, dude." Brick was consoled by the fact that Ron was not doing much better; earlier, he had been griping about how much he would be rocking the game if he had cheat codes with him. Brick thought this seemed a little obvious, but he wasn't about to question Ron's gaming style.

"Wanna play another round?" asked Ron.

"Nah, I think I'm about ready to get out of here anyway."

Brick gave the controller to someone next to him on the couch who was waiting for a turn. He stretched his arms out and yawned. It was getting late, but Bonnie liked to stay at parties for a long time, and she was his ride for the night.

Ron was about to start another game with the new player when Tara appeared, looking furtively around the still crowded gaming room. Brick felt a little sorry for her – it was clear that the house would be a complete mess by the time the party wound down. Tara sidled up to Ron and whispered something in his ear. She pulled him up gently by his arm and led him towards the stairway going to the upper floor of the house. Ron looked confused and perhaps a little frightened, whereas Tara had a look in her eye that Brick thought would be more fitting on Bonnie if he didn't know any better.

_Wow... I'm gonna have to ask that dude to give me the dirt on Monday_, he thought to himself.

"Alright guys," he said to the other players, who were still frozen in shock at Ron and Tara's sudden disappearance to the top floor. "I'm off to find my ride."

He turned around to find Bonnie standing right behind him.

"Hey sweetie. I'm not really done partying yet."

"Seriously?"

"Yes Brick. I have social obligations, you know."

"Alright... I'll just get a ride from somebody else then."

Bonnie leaned against the couch. "You know, I don't know what that was down in the basement, but I don't like you encouraging my friend to go out with losers."

"I told you she can do what she wants, Bonnie."

"You don't need to push her in the wrong direction. You should just mind your own business, Brick." Several people nearby had stopped chatting to listen to the increasingly heated conversation.

"I'm not in the mood for this. I'm leaving now."

Brick was about to walk away when Bonnie grabbed him by the arm. "By the way Brick, tomorrow afternoon you have to come with me to dance practice and watch me. I need a boyfriend there so I can rub it in Annie's face. She thinks she's so hot with her little twirls..."

Brick was amazed. It was as if Bonnie had failed to control Tara, so now she was making up for it by pulling out all the stops on him. Just for a moment, Brick considered saying yes to Bonnie. He was in the middle of a party, he was a bit afraid of Bonnie's anger, and by now a large amount of people were watching the two of them with interest. He was about to respond to Bonnie when he remembered Tara's reaction in the basement. Brick had pegged Tara as a follower, like himself, but she had made her own choice.

"Bonnie, you can't just tell me to do something as if the world revolves around you."

Bonnie looked confused. "Who else would it revolve around?"

Someone in the crowd muttered 'the sun!' in a faint voice.

"Look Bonnie, I have football practice tomorrow. You already knew that. I can't just cancel my plans and do whatever you want, just because you want me to."

"Why not? You're my boyfriend."

Brick sighed in exasperation. There was nothing left to do. "Not anymore, Bonnie."

"_What_?"

"This isn't going to work out. I'm breaking up with you."

Bonnie looked like she was about to eat him alive.

Brick waved at the gathering crowd. "See you all later, hope you guys enjoyed the show." He turned his back to a mass of shocked faces and walked towards the front door of the house. It would be way too awkward to ask anyone for a ride at this point; Brick would just have to walk home. Hopefully his father would not be too angry when he got home late, although Brick doubted it would matter much.

Bonnie laughed as he opened the front door. "Alright then, Brickie! I guess I'll see you on Monday when you apologize and we get back together yet again." The door slammed shut.

Bonnie stood there for a moment, trying to stop herself from shaking in anger. For such a great start, the party had gone spectacularly off the rails. She turned to the silent crowd of people and waved at them dismissively. "What are you all looking at? Time to get back to partying!"

Someone had turned down the stereo during the argument, but the thumping music returned to its previous loud level as everyone went back to their activities. On the far end of the room, a pair of sliding glass doors slid open. A certain red-headed cheerleader entered the gaming room from the back yard, where she had been chatting with a few of her cheerleader teammates. She aimlessly mingled with her classmates.

"Hey, anybody seen Ron?"


	3. The Next Play

**The Next Play**

XX

Brick Flagg was feeling good.

A cool breeze wandered in from his bedroom window and rustled the pages of a new issue of one of his favorite magazines, _Sports of Course._ The magazine lay idly in his lap as Brick sat in his bed, covers thrown off, a pillow propped between the headboard and his back. Several more magazines were spread out on the floor beside the bed.

It was a lazy Saturday morning, although Brick had slept in late and the afternoon was fast approaching. Brick was taking a break from the magazine; he looked lazily around his room, resting his gaze at the shining sports trophies that decorated his dresser. He wasn't really looking at the trophies, however. Brick was lost in thought.

Yesterday night's party had been quite eventful. Brick was now single, yet again, after breaking up with Bonnie. The two of them had broken up before. On several occasions it wasn't that they had broken up as much as they had simply drifted apart and and stopped going out for a while. Brick never felt like his relationship with Bonnie was a particularly deep one. He was a little bothered by the way things had gone last night, but was still nice to look forward to a weekend without any nagging.

Still, Brick felt an urge talk about things with someone. Something about his break with Bonnie last night seemed more serious than usual, and Brick wanted to assure himself that he had made the right decision. He looked at the clock radio next to his bed. Eleven thirty. Football practice was scheduled later that afternoon, but Brick decided he had time to pay someone a visit before then.

Brick threw his magazine on the floor and got dressed. His large frame caused the floorboards to reverberate as he stomped down the stairs to the first floor. The faint crackling sound of voices and cheering reached his ears from the living room. Brick's father was already awake and watching a football game playing on a sports channel.

He was glad to see his father up; Mason Flagg had been sleeping in a lot lately, even on weekdays. Brick entered a small kitchen that was mostly open to the living room. He could look across the counter at the living room television, watching the game with his father through the open dividing wall while he prepared himself a bowl of corn flakes.

Mason Flagg and his son lived alone together in a small house. Brick didn't mind too much. Sometimes he could feel insecure when he was visiting friends – Middleton was a well-off town, and most of the houses in town seemed larger than his own. Brick had been in awe at the size of Tara's house last night, and Bonnie lived in a large home. Kim had a large house as well; Brick had attended a couple of Kim's birthday parties as a child. It made him a little jealous sometimes, but usually he just shrugged it off. There were more important things in life than how much money you had, after all.

"Hey dad, I'm gonna go out after breakfast for a while."

"Where to, son?"

"I have football practice later today, and I want to go to Justine's house before then. Make sure our project is ready to go."

Brick could just barely see his father's shoulders shrug noncommittally from the sides of the recliner. He picked up his bowl of cornflakes in one hand, a glass of orange juice in the other, and sat down in the living room on the couch beside his father's recliner in order to watch the game more closely while he was eating.

Mason Flagg looked over at his son munching on a mouthful of cornflakes. "Justine Flanner, right?"

"Yeah."

"I've seen her name in the paper before. Isn't she always winning awards for physics or some such thing all the time?"

"Yeah, probably."

"I figure she must be a smart one, huh?"

Brick nodded. He wondered what the questions were for as he watched as his father's face turn back to the football game. The features of Mason Flagg's face were nondescript, lit by the gloomy patina of light from the television. It was a bright day outside, but the living room did not get a lot of natural light through the drawn window blinds, and Brick's father had not turned any lights on.

"Hey Pop?"

Brick's father acknowledged him with a faint shift in his gaze.

"Maybe you could look for some job openings this weekend."

No response.

"It's pretty nice out. It could be fun to go driving around a bit, right?"

"Come on, son. I don't really feel like that today. I just wanna sit here and enjoy myself a bit."

"Sure, dad. But you have to start looking again eventually."

"You know we got enough money to last us a little while longer, Brick. I'll go down in a bit and get an unemployment check, okay?"

"That's not gonna last us forever, dad."

"I know that."

Mason turned his attention back to the television, raising the volume a little. Brick got the message. He finished his breakfast, said goodbye to his father, and went out the door. Walking out into a bright blue sky was a welcome change of scenery.

XX

It was not a long walk to his destination, but breathing in the crisp spring air and listening to the birds chirping around him had already been enough to perk up Brick's spirits. He was looking forward to football practice later, even if Eddie Jackson had been a bit annoying during last night's party. Even more than that, Brick thought as he arrived at a large house at the end of a cul-de-sac, he was looking forward to chatting with Justine.

The yard around the house looked perfectly maintained, like the plastic lawn of a doll house. Brick could not see a single weed or misplaced plant anywhere, and the grass was a perfect monotone green hue. As Brick walked up the driveway, he noticed someone in a work suit hunched over amongst some bushes in a corner of the yard adjacent to the road, snapping at something with a pair of shears. The Flanners must hire help for their yard work, he thought.

Brick rang the doorbell and gave his best smile to Leona Flanner when the door opened. "Hello Mrs. Flanner!"

"Hello Brick. I wasn't expecting you over today."

"I just thought I'd stop by and work on the project a bit more with Justine."

"Alright then. Please, come in."

Brick walked into the house and noticed Justine's father sitting on the couch and reading a newspaper. "Hey Justine's dad!" he said. Justine's dad nodded curtly in reply. "So where's Justine?"

"I think she's upstairs in her room," Leona said. "Go on up, but knock first!"

Brick raced up the stairs. He was used to making a lot of noise on the wooden staircase of his own house, but the thickly carpeted steps in Justine's home absorbed his footsteps completely. The upstairs hallway was sparsely decorated. A couple of mahogany tripod tables sat at either end of the hallway like sentinels, holding a rubber plant and a fragile looking vase. The hallway's wall, when it was not punctuated by doors, held a few plaques that looked to Brick like they were awards belonging to Justine's parents. One of the hallway doors was open a crack.

Brick walked up to the door and pushed it open enthusiastically. "Hey Justine, what's up!"

Justine gave a startled yelp. She looked up from her desk, where she had been working on homework. "Brick? Good God, can you knock?"

"Oh, right. Sorry about that!"

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought it'd be cool if we could work on the volcano project a little bit more."

Justine pointed to a freakishly realistic volcano model poised on a stand and sitting in the corner of her room. "We're basically done, Brick. We finished it all on Friday."

"Oh. Well, that rocks!"

Justine gathered her papers together on the desk and set her pencil down, apparently giving up on the idea of doing homework with Brick in the room. She turned the chair around to face him. "So, uh... would you like to hang out or something?" It was clear from Justine's tone that she was in socially unfamiliar territory.

"Yeah, sure." Brick began to look around Justine's room – this was his first time seeing it, since they had stuck to the living room in their previous study meetings. "Sweet, you have a lot of trophies here!"

Brick picked up an award from Justine's bookcase that was topped by a golden figure in a lab coat, holding up a vial and cackling. The bookcase also contained books, but Brick had no idea what many of the titles meant. "You're into quantum stuff, huh?"

Justine snorted. "Yes, that's correct."

Brick set the trophy back on the bookcase and sat down on Justine's bed. He seemed to have lost interest in the bookcase. "So, I didn't see you at the party last night."

"Um, I'm not really what you would call a party person."

"That's cool. It was a little too crowded for me too. Also I kind of broke up with my girlfriend at the party."

If the topic had shifted any more quickly, Justine was fairly sure she would have gotten whiplash. Brick looked pensive as he sat on the bed; Justine got the impression that he was waiting for her to say something. Unfortunately, Justine had no idea what to say.

"That's, uh... that's too bad."

"Yeah, it was pretty harsh. Everybody was staring."

"This is Bonnie Rockwaller we're talking about, right?" Justine was just familiar enough with Bonnie to know that she didn't like the brunette cheerleader at all. Bonnie was from a very different world.

"The one and only."

"Haven't the two of you broken up like a hundred times?"

Brick shrugged. "I guess so. She's totally hot and everything, but sometimes she's kind of a pain, you know?"

Justine sat down on the bed beside him and awkwardly reached an arm around his thick back. "There there," she said, patting his shoulder. It seemed like the thing to do.

"Hey, it's all good. I'm actually kind of glad I did it. Sometimes I wonder if I just go out with her because she's a cheerleader and I'm the quarterback. It's like everybody expects me to do it, you know?" Brick gestured at Justine's trophies. "It's like with you. I bet you have to go out with nerdy guys all the time because you're so smart!"

Justine found Brick's comment amusing. She had never really thought about what kind of boy she was expected to go out with, to be honest. She could guess what kind of boy her parents had in mind, but dating was not high on her list of priorities. Her work did not leave a lot of time for distractions.

"You know what would be funny?" Brick scrunched his face in concentration, as if trying to solve an equation. "If I was smart and stuff, I might be going out with you!"

Justine laughed. "Most people aren't lucky enough to be as intelligent as I am. Don't be too hard on yourself."

Brick did not seem to react to the comment, but Justine felt a strange sense of guilt after she said it. It was true, certainly, but she started to wonder if it was the right thing to say. She sighed. Talking to Brick was unusually awkward for her. "Why do you think you're so stupid, anyways?"

"Well, I don't get good grades or anything. All I do is play football. All my trophies have people throwing balls around on the top."

"Well, at least you're good at something."

The hulking quarterback nodded slowly.

Their conversation trailed off into a painful lull, and Justine started to feel nervous. She needed a distraction. What in the world did one talk about with a football player? She didn't know the first thing about football. As she looked around her room, she noticed her chess set wedged in a corner of the bookcase. She did not play chess very often, but it was something to do.

"Want to play some chess?"

"Sure, but you'll probably beat me."

Justine nodded. "Probably." She got the chess set from the bookcase and opened it up on the bed, setting the pieces up on each side. Brick got into position on the other side of the set, almost knocking the pieces over as his weight pressed into the mattress.

"Do you know how to play, Brick?"

"Yes, I've played a few times before."

Justine made the first move. They traded a few turns moving their pawns out, and eventually the more dangerous pieces began to venture out into the field. Justine was not paying much attention to Brick's moves – the game was something to do, and she was not expecting any challenge. Which was why she was taken off guard when Brick announced: "Check."

"What?"

Justine examined the pieces carefully. Brick was right. She moved a piece in to block her king, and Brick countered. Justine was now watching Brick's moves more closely. After a few more turns, she managed to get her bishop into a position that Brick could not counter. "Checkmate."

Brick laughed. "See, you're too smart for me!"

Justine shook her head. "You did much better than I expected. You said you've only played this a few times?"

"Yeah. It's weird though, it kind of reminds me of football. All the little pieces trying to get past each other, you know?"

Justine nodded. "We have a chess club at school. Maybe you should talk to Kevin Guberman. I'm willing to bet he'd let you join the club."

"Maybe." Brick watched as Justine packed up the pieces and placed the set back into its place in the bookcase. "Hey, what are you doing this afternoon?"

"Studying, probably."

"Maybe you should take a break and come watch me at practice. You gotta get some air, you can't be in your room all day!"

"I can be in the room all day. I've done it many times, in fact."

"No, I meant like, not literally. You should get some fresh air!"

Justine was hesitant. Watching football practice was not high on her list of interests, and she had a lot of homework to do. What was more, she did not expect her parents to approve of her going out and wasting time on something so frivolous. But then, she probably _could_ use some fresh air. Brick was also giving her some kind of a ridiculous pouting expression that, for some inexplicable reason, Justine found hard to ignore. She looked at her desk, cluttered with papers, and had an idea.

"Alright. Why not?" She gathered a few papers from her desk and placed them in a notebook as Brick pumped his fist in triumph. He followed Justine out of her room and down the stairs.

"Mom, Dad, we're going out for a while."

Justine's mother looked over the back of the living room couch at the two teens, where she and her husband were watching the news. "Where?"

"Brick is going to football practice, and I'm going to come along."

Leona frowned. She had thought that Brick was simply a study partner. Why was her daughter hanging out with him? Not only hanging out with him, but watching him play some sport. "Don't you have work to do, honey?"

"I'm taking some with me so I can do it outside, mother."

"Hm. I guess as long as you're getting it done, that's alright."

Justine's mother watched as the two teens slipped out of the front door before they could be roped into any further discussion. Her husband sat next to her, wearing an equally concerned expression. Leona rarely saw her daughter going out or hanging out with friends. She was not against her daughter socializing at all, but doing well in school was a priority. As far as Leona was concerned, that Brick character did not seem like the type to encourage Justine in that endeavor.

XX

"FLAGG! Where have you been?"

Steve Barkin stood in the center of the school's football field with a clipboard and a whistle. A group of football were gathered around him, preparing to begin their practice. Barkin watched as Brick Flagg walked towards him with a girl in tow. He narrowed his eyes; the girl was definitely not Bonnie Rockwaller. He recognized her as one of his top students. At least, usually one of his top students.

"Flagg, I see you've brought Tyrannosaur Tina with you! Decided to get the team eaten, did you?"

"No sir."

Justine whispered something to Brick as he approached the group of players and left for the bleachers to start on her homework. Eddie Jackson slapped Brick on the back as he entered the group, while several other players glanced at the Justine's receding figure with interest.

"Well, if you're done frolicking with your new girlfriend, are you ready to play a little ball, Flagg?"

"It's not like that sir. She's just here to -"

Barkin shoved a football into Brick's hands. "We're going to divide everyone in half and practice a little passing. LET'S GO!"

Brick moved into position and looked over at Justine on the bleachers. She was already hard at work, but glanced up at him for a moment. Brick took the opportunity to give her a brief wave. He noticed that Ron Stoppable was also nearby, practicing some moves in his mascot outfit. Brick did not see Kim anywhere, even though she and Ron were usually like peas in a pod. He would have to ask Ron what had happened at the party as soon as he got a break.

XX

Brick stood around a cooler full of water and soft drinks with several of his teammates. Mr. Barkin was kind enough to give them a fifteen minute break from practice. As Brick gulped down half of a water bottle without taking a pause, Eddie Jackson slapped him on the back again, and Brick sprayed a jet of water out of his mouth onto their coach as he passed by. Steve Barkin stopped for a moment, quivering with anger, but in a surprising fit of magnanimity he decided he would give his star player a pass. Just this once.

"Whew," said Eddie after their coach had gone out of earshot. "That was close. How about that party yesterday night, huh?"

Brick nodded. "Pretty crazy man."

"You doing okay? That was pretty rough with Bonnie."

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks."

Eddie glanced over at Justine Flanner, who was still working on some papers on the bleachers a few yards away from them. "So Brick," he said in a lowered voice, "what's going on with Justine? Are you, like, going out with her now?"

"Nah, we were just working on the science project a bit and I said she should come over to watch the practice."

Brick's teammates raised their eyebrows in collective skepticism. Another player spoke up. "Seriously? Justine, watching football practice? You're not holding out on us, are you buddy?"

"No way man!"

"Do you like her?" asked the other player.

"I dunno. I guess I just kind of admire her. And she _is_ kind of cute."

Eddie shook his head. "Dude, I don't get your taste in women. Bonnie Rockwaller, alright, she's hot and she's a cheerleader, but she had you pretty whipped. That's assuming you really did break up with her and this isn't just another one of your day long separations. And then you used to like Kim Possible too, right? Being with her has _got_ to be emancipating!"

"Emasculating," corrected Brick.

"Whatever."

The players fell into an awkward silence. Their conversation had left Brick a little annoyed; he remembered his excitement at the idea of going out with Kim Possible, and his disappointment when it had become obvious that she wasn't interested in him. Brick had awkwardly tried to twist things so that it looked like he was the one dumping her, but he doubted he had fooled anyone. Certainly not himself. It wasn't like he was really interested in Kim anymore – he always figured she and Ron would get together at some point anyway – and it wasn't weird to talk to Kim or anything, but the memory was still a bit unpleasant.

Brick noticed Ron Stoppable sitting on the bleachers. He was in the opposite direction of Justine from the group of players, taking a break from his mascot practice and sitting alone. Ron was normally an outgoing guy, but Brick assumed he felt a bit out of place to socialize much with the football players. He decided it was time to ask Ron what was going on.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go chat with Stoppable."

Brick left the group of players and walked over to Ron's section of the bleachers. He noticed the Mad Dog mascot head placed beside Ron on the bleachers. The boy's straw-colored hair was matted and sweaty.

"Man, it must be a drag wearing that headpiece in this weather, huh?"

Ron looked up at Brick. "You're telling me! Have to make some noble sacrifices for the team though, am I right?"

Brick nodded. "So where's Kim? Usually it's like you guys are joined at the hip."

Ron shrugged. "She's a bit busy this weekend, I think."

Brick grinned. "Not avoiding her, are you dude?"

"What? No, huh? I mean, wha – why would I be doing that? Nope."

"Come on, something happened at that party last night. You gotta give me the juicy details!" Brick sat down on the bleachers next to Ron. He had to admit that he could understand Monique's penchant for gossip.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ron sniffed haughtily.

"You went upstairs with Tara. Lots of people saw it happen."

Ron looked around the field shiftily, even though it was obvious that no one was paying attention or even anywhere nearby except for Brick. "Okay, look man, a gentleman never kisses and tells, you know?"

"Whoa... so you kissed her. Wait, dude – did you have _sex_ with her?" Brick's voice went up in volume high enough at the end of the sentence that several of the players still gathered around the cooler looked over at the pair, their curiosity piqued.

"Jeez Brick, pipe down!" Ron laughed and waved nervously at the onlookers who were still paying attention. They rolled their eyes and returned to their own conversations. "No, we didn't do the horizontal monkey, okay? That's way too fast for me. Not that the Ron man wouldn't be awesome when the time comes."

Brick gave Ron a questioning look in response to his self-assured tone.

"Okay fine, I'd be terrified."

"So you guys made out or something?"

Ron scratched his head. "Look, it was kind of a whirl, you know? There I was, playing video games and minding my own business, and she came out of nowhere and dragged me upstairs! Don't let her innocent exterior fool you Brick. That's just her man-trap!" The blond teen decided he wanted to change the subject before things got out of hand. "So enough about me, what about you? What's going on with Bonnie and Justine?"

Brick shrugged. "She's just watching us practice."

"I heard you broke up with Bonnie at the party? Is it for real this time?"

"Maybe."

"Going to ask out Justine now?"

"Why does everyone think I'm going to ask out Justine just because I'm hanging out with her? Can't a guy and a girl ever hang out and just be friends?" Brick believed it was a good point on paper, but he had to admit he was wondering what it might be like to go out with Justine. It would be a new experience, to say the least.

"Sure, a guy and a girl can just be friends. Look at me and Monique, or me and Kim! It just depends on how you feel about her."

Brick mulled over Ron's comment. So Ron and Kim _were_ just friends. Brick had never been sure, but he supposed it was good news for Ron. His fiery-haired friend would not be tearing him apart on Monday, at least.

Brick sat back on the bleachers and looked up at the gorgeous blue sky, his face scrunched up in thought. Ron was not really his friend; the two of them were loosely acquainted, and while he talked to Ron now and then, they didn't really travel in the same social circles or hang out after classes. But after talking to Ron a few times over the last couple of days, Brick was starting to wonder if he should get to know Kim Possible's strange sidekick a little better. Brick was an outgoing person, and Ron seemed friendly as well – it was very easy to talk to him about things.

"What do you think, dude?"

"About what?"

"Should I ask Justine out?"

Ron looked over at the girl in question. He did not really know Justine, but if he was being honest, his impression of her was not great. She seemed very severe. Kim had said she was okay when you got to know her, but Ron had heard about the way Justine had treated Kim during their science project, and he knew that Kim was a forgiving person. But then, Ron liked to think that he was fairly forgiving as well.

"That's up to you. It doesn't matter what other people think. If you see something about her you like, you should give it a chance."

Steve Barkin's whistle pierced through their conversation abruptly. "Everybody back to practice, RIGHT NOW!" He threw a football at Brick as if he was trying to knock his star player unconscious. Brick barely caught the ball in time.

"Alright, talk to you later dude. Good luck with that Tara thing!" Brick ran back out onto the field with his teammates and began practicing passes.

Justine, who had been distracted from her work by the whistle, watched the massive quarterback running around on the field. She had noticed him talking with his teammates earlier, and he had just finished a conversation with Ron Stoppable. Justine couldn't be sure, but during both conversations it seemed like people were glancing at her. She had no idea why that might be, but she had to envy the way Brick could talk to people so easily and shift between social circles like that.

Justine had no idea what football practice involved, but it seemed like the quarterback and his teammates knew what they were doing. The afternoon sun beat down, and eventually Brick took a short break to remove his shirt and get some air before running back out onto the field. His well-built body rippled and flexed. Muscles defined themselves and took shape as he caught the ball and threw it powerfully down the field to another player. His sweaty skin glittered and reflected the sunlight. Justine licked her lips. She couldn't deny it. There was something very appealing about the way he glistened.


	4. Eruption

**Eruption**

XX

Brick Flagg was feeling tired.

The faint sound of music from his clock radio penetrated the pillow that Brick was holding over his head. He tried to ignore the sound and go to sleep for a few more minutes, but it was no use. He took off the pillow and propped himself up in his bed, stretching his beefy arms out with a yawn. It was Monday morning; Monday mornings were always harsh.

Brick, still in a daze, sat motionlessly and enjoyed the music. His weekend had been a good one, although Sunday was fairly uneventful. He had slept in late, exercised a little, and watched some television, but the remainder of the day was a blur. Now the weekend was at an end, and it was time to return to classes. Science class in particular. Brick hoped the volcano project would get a good grade. After all, with Justine as a partner, how could it not?

_When I want to run away... I drive off in my car..._

Brick leaned over and hit the top of the clock radio on his nightstand. He enjoyed Peter Gabriel, but it was time to quit dawdling and get ready to go. Fortunately it was still early; he couldn't get rides from Bonnie anymore, and his dad was not very reliable lately, so he would need enough time to walk to school.

_But whichever way I go... _

Brick looked at the clock radio in confusion. He had definitely turned off the wake-up alarm, but it must not have been on in the first place. The music was not coming from the radio. He looked around the room, his early-morning daze just beginning to lift, and realized that the faint lyrics were drifting in through a crack in his window.

Brick got out of bed and shambled over to the window. The music poured more clearly into his room as he opened it and looked out into the front yard. Parked in his driveway was a familiar silver Porsche. Beside the Porsche stood a tanned brunette.

_In your eyes... the light... the heat..._

"Bonnie?"

"Hey Brick!"

"Where is that music coming from?"

Bonnie jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "One of your jerk neighbors is blaring it out."

"Oh. What are you doing down there?"

"I just got here. I wanted to talk to you before school starts."

Brick nodded. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he was intrigued by Bonnie's unexpected visit.

"That's cool. I'll be down in a minute."

XX

Brick got dressed quickly and bounded down the stairs to the front door of his house. His father was nowhere to be seen. Apparently the music was not loud enough to wake him. Brick opened the door to find Bonnie waiting for him on the front porch's bench swing.

"Hey Bonnie, what's up?"

"What do you _think_ is up, Brick?"

Brick stopped and stared at his former girlfriend for a moment. "Uh, is this a trick question?"

"Us. Us is what's up. I'm here so we can get back together before school." Bonnie's approach was a gamble, but sometimes with Brick it was best to blindside him. Just take the direct approach.

"But Bonnie, we broke up, remember?"

"That doesn't mean anything, sweetie. Look, I think maybe I was a little harsh with you at the party and you overreacted a little. Why don't we just forget it happened and go to school now?"

Brick sat down on the porch swing next to Bonnie. "Bonnie, I was being serious at the party. You're a total babe and all, but I just don't know if we're right for each other, you know?"

"No, I don't know. Quarterback and head cheerleader, Brick. This isn't rocket science."

"Isn't Kim the head cheerleader?"

Bonnie made a dismissive sound. "Formally, maybe."

"Bonnie, maybe we should just try to be friends."

Brick was being sincere in his offer. He didn't want to hurt Bonnie, and he was willing to try friendship, but he didn't want to cave in to her either. "Didn't you ever feel like maybe we were just together because of other stuff? I mean, like, maybe we weren't really good together, but we just thought it was the right thing to do?"

"Brick, sweetie, you're thinking too hard about this. You're going to hurt that beautiful head of yours. Do you know how it's going to look if I show up at school this morning and we're still broken up? I'm going to look like an idiot! We have to repair the social disaster you almost created at the party!" Bonnie knew she was being completely reasonable, but she could tell that her boyfriend just wasn't getting it.

"Bonnie..."

Brick was still struggling to find the right words to explain what he was feeling when he felt a pair of lips lock against his own. He made a muffled sound, but Bonnie silenced him by kissing more insistently. Brick's massive frame was no match against the assault of soft flesh that pressed against him. He knew that Bonnie was trying a different strategy, one that she had used before. One that Bonnie knew would work better than words. Brick felt his resolve weakening, his strength fading, his body melting as delicate tan hands probed their way across his body. Searching, caressing. Grabbing.

"Wait!"

Brick succeeded in holding Bonnie away long enough to get a word in edgewise. "Bonnie, you're not listening to me."

Bonnie sighed in exasperation and leaned back in the porch swing. Her boyfriend was being incredibly stubborn; this was the first time she could remember that strategy failing. "What is it, Brick?"

"We can't get back together just because you're hot. There's more to life than hotness!"

"Well yeah. There's money. Is that what you want?"

Brick paused. He _did_ want money. "Yeah... wait, no. You're seriously offering to pay me to get back together?"

Bonnie shrugged. "I don't know, you're making this difficult."

Brick perched on the porch swing awkwardly. His weight tipped the other end of the swing higher in the air, so that Bonnie was forced to try to look elegant without falling off. The quarterback did not know what else to say to his ex-girlfriend. He and Bonnie had dealt with communication problems in the past, but for some reason he was noticing it now more than he ever had before. It was as if he wasn't even there when she talked. Like he was a brick wall.

"I'm going to school before I'm late," said Brick as he got up from his seat, jarring Bonnie as the porch swing returned to a more horizontal position.

"Why don't you let me give you a ride, Brickie?"

"I'd rather walk."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

She watched as Brick went inside to retrieve his backpack. He came out without saying so much as a word to Bonnie and left the porch. Since she had a car, there was no reason for her to hurry to school. She could have sworn the breakup was just a fluke, but Brick was making things a lot harder than she had anticipated.

XX

"Oh Brickie, over here!"

The football player in question turned towards the lilting voice that beckoned to him. For a moment he thought it might be Bonnie, but his guess proved to be incorrect. Kim Possible leaned against her hall locker with a grin on her face, and next to her was the source of the call: Monique Jenkins.

"Hey Kim, hey Monique. What's up?"

Monique raised an eyebrow and saucily placed her hands on her hips. "I think you know what's up, boy. You gotta give us the down low on this Justine thing, pronto!"

Brick glanced at Kim. "Come on Monique, you said you wouldn't tell anybody. Not in front of Kim!"

"Oh, I've already been talking to Kim about it on the phone all weekend." A fleeting look of guilt passed over Monique's features as she noticed Brick's astonished reaction. "Come on Brick, I'm like the queen of gossip. What were you expecting? I just can't help myself."

Brick shrugged. "Good point. Anyways," - Brick lowered his voice and glanced around himself to make sure none of their fellow students were eavesdropping - "nothing's going down with Justine yet. I was chilling with her a bit over the weekend, and that's it."

Kim pouted. "You're no fun, Brick."

"It's the truth, I swear!"

"Are you going to ask her out?" the two girls asked in unison. Brick was a little unnerved by their enthusiasm.

"I dunno, maybe. If I get the right opportunity."

Brick noticed a sudden shift in the demeanor of the two girls, as if they were trying to act as nonchalant as possible while glancing past him. He turned around to see Justine Flanner walking towards them. Her head was barely visible behind the bulky volcano that was balanced precariously in her hands. She almost ran into the group of teens before Brick stopped her.

"Hey, Justine!"

Justine peered from behind the project. "Oh, hello Brick. Hello Monique, Kim."

"Hey Justine," the girls replied in the most neutral tone they could muster.

"How's your make up project going, Kim?"

Kim looked like she was feeling mildly unpleasant. "Uh, it's finished."

"What did you have to do?"

Kim hesitated. "Ron wanted to try to grow mold by letting unwrapped Nacos sit around for a few days. He mentioned it to Mr. Barkin and he gave it the okay before I could complain."

Brick and Monique both shuddered involuntarily, but Justine looked intrigued. "Really? And how were the mold samples?"

Kim frowned. "They were... extensive."

"Wait a minute girl," said Monique, "you had to work with Ron?"

"Yeah, I think that was Mr. Barkin's punishment for the dinosaur."

"So you basically had to grow the mold yourself?"

Kim nodded dejectedly.

"That's just _wrong_."

"By the way," asked Kim, "have you guys seen Ron yet this morning?"

The other teens shook their heads.

"He must be running a bit late," Monique offered.

Brick noticed that Justine had been slumping lower and lower over the course of the conversation. It looked like she was about to be crushed under the weight of the volcano. "Hey Justine, let me hold onto that."

Brick took the volcano carefully out of her grasp and balanced it with ease. He looked at the volcano with a sense of accomplishment – it was true that Justine had done most of the work, but Brick had felt like he could grasp a lot of what she was doing when she had explained it to him. He felt like he had payed attention to the project in a way that he had not done for his school assignments in the past.

"You should have called me up earlier and I would have helped you get it over here."

Justine shook her head. "That's alright. But thanks for taking it off me." The bell suddenly pealed through the hall as she spoke. "I suppose we should be going to science class now."

"Right on. Bye ladies!" Brick tried to wave at Kim and Monique as he walked to class with his science partner, but almost dropped the volcano in the attempt. He managed to avoid disaster through some quick shifting and turned his attention back to his project.

As the two figures disappeared amongst the students rushing through the hall, Monique turned to Kim and clasped her hands together while jumping up and down in glee. Kim was not quite as excited as her friend, but Monique's attitude was still contagious.

"Girl, they are so H.F.E.O.!"

Kim thought for a moment, surprised that she was so good at deciphering her friend's acronyms. Certainly better at it than Ron. "Hot for each other?"

"You _know_ it!"

XX

Steve Barkin stood stiffly in front of his science class. Technically, Mrs. Fitzgerald's science class, but as far as Steve was concerned, teaching the class meant that he owned it. He would have liked to see rows and rows of fresh-faced students watching him with rapt attention, but as usual he was faced with a few attentive faces amongst a mass of partially unconscious bodies.

Kim Possible was paying attention, as always. Ron Stoppable sat next to her and looked unusually preoccupied for some reason; not only that, but he had barely gotten into class on time. Not unusual for Stoppable, Steve thought. Bonnie Rockwaller sat in a corner of the room and looked like she was in a huff about something. Finally, Brick Flagg and Justine Flanner sat towards the front of the class, clearly waiting to demonstrate their project.

"Uh, hey Mr. B?" asked Brick.

"Yes, Flagg?"

"When's Mrs. Fitzergerald gonna get back?"

Barkin sniffed. "Don't know. The effects of the fungal experiment were much more... _extensive_ than anyone previously thought."

Kim nodded at Barkin's comment, commiserating with Mrs. Fitzergerald's problems.

"Don't worry, Flagg. You may not get the Kumbaya's and free passes that Mrs. Fitzergerald likes to give out, but I am a fair grader." Mr. Barkin stepped up to the volcano that Brick and Justine had set up on a table in front of the classroom and inspected it carefully. The volcano was very realistic; it even sported a tiny model village at the edge of one of its slopes, complete with figures holding their arms up in terror. Barkin stared at Justine. Some of his students had strange senses of humor.

"Listen up, class! We all remember the horrific travesty that was the Kine... what was it?"

"Kinematic Continuum Disruptor," said Justine.

"Yes. The Kinematic Dinosaur Nightmare Machine. Now, Justine and her partner Brick here will try to make up for that transgression against the natural world. Take it away!"

"Of course," said Justine as she stepped up to the volcano. "Hand me my backpack, Brick."

Mr. Barkin stepped aside as Brick passed Justine's backpack over from her desk. Justine opened a small kit that she had been transporting inside it. The kit appeared to contain several substances that had already been prepared for the demonstration; Justine measured a few of them in test tubes and added them to the volcano in varying amounts.

The base of the volcano began to vibrate almost imperceptibly on the table, and then built up to a loud clatter as a reaction began inside the volcano's conduit. Justine and Brick stepped back, anticipating what was going to happen. The rest of the class followed their example and sunk a bit lower into their seats. Mr. Barkin watched with a look of growing excitement.

For just a moment, the clattering stopped, plunging the classroom into complete silence. The silence was broken by a loud _whoosh!_ as the volcano spouted out a fountain of flame that reached up to the classroom's ceiling. A cloud of black smoke billowed out across the ceiling and rained down pieces of ashy material from inside the model. Several students screamed.

Mr. Barkin gaped at the volcano as the flame sputtered down. He was not drenched in water, which meant that the fire safety system in the classroom was clearly broken, but he did not care. It was the most beautiful project he had ever seen.

"Uh, hey Mr. B," said Brick, "you've got a cinder in your hair."

Barkin absentmindedly brushed the cinder away. He approached the volcano cautiously. A small river of melted plastic, or whatever material had been used to create the volcano, was flowing like syrup over the tiny screaming figures at the volcano's base.

"Justine! Brick! That was AWESOME! A+!"

Brick stared at Barkin for a moment in shock. He was not the worst student in school, but Brick was definitely not a high achiever. This was the first perfect grade he had ever gotten. And it was thanks to Justine. Brick let out a victorious shout and grabbed his science partner in a bear hug, lifting her up completely off the ground and twirling her as he spun in a circle, unable to contain his excitement. He set Justine back down on the ground. The smartly-dressed girl brushed down her ruffled hair and adjusted her headband, clearly unsure of what had just happened.

"Excessive P.D.A. in the classroom!" yelled Barkin, shocked by the strange display. "Detention for both of you!"

"Aw, come on coach!"

Barkin's expression softened. Perhaps he had overreacted a little in his volcano-induced excitement. Still, rules were rules. "You may return to your seats now. Good job on the project. See Miss Flanner, isn't it nice when we create something that does not attempt to eat us?"

Justine nodded absently. The rest of the class whispered amongst themselves about what had just occurred, some of them looking back at Bonnie to see what her reaction was. Bonnie was careful not to have any visible response, but inside she was fuming.

What was that? Brick hugging Justine Flanner? She had been hearing whispered rumors in the halls that morning, but nothing was very clear. Brick's shameful display seemed clear enough to Bonnie, however. What in the world could Brick see in that nerd? Her hair was so straight. And that ridiculous headband.... _so_ last semester. Justine Flanner was a walking fashion faux pas. Her voice was too low. Even her face was too angular. Like a weasel's face!

Bonnie ground her teeth together, trying to ignore several other students who glanced back at her seat in the corner of the room. She knew one thing for sure. If Justine thought she could hone in on Bonnie's territory, she was cruising for a bruising.

XX

Brick and Justine left their final class with slouched shoulders and pained expressions. They were not looking forward to their next destination. Students from other classes began to file out of the doors and crowd the hallways as they got ready to go home. Brick and Justine watched them enviously.

"I can't believe I have detention," said Justine. "_Thanks_, Brick."

"Sorry Justine." Brick felt genuinely guilty – Justine hadn't done anything to deserve Barkin's punishment. Across the hallway, Brick noticed a beaming face approaching them in the crowd, ringed by a luxurious wave of blonde hair. He smiled at Tara. The cheerleader looked like she was about to reply when she noticed the girl with whom Brick was walking. She gave Brick a subtle wink as she passed by instead. As Brick opened the detention room door, he wondered if everyone in school thought he and Justine were an item by now.

"Yo Brick! What's up man?"

Brick gave Vinnie a high five as he entered the room with Justine. Junior and Big Mike were also there; the three of them were regular fixtures in the detention scene, mainly because they only seemed to attend class on rare occasions. Brick thought that detention was perhaps a bit unfair in Big Mike's case; he wasn't entirely sure how the guy could fit through some of the classroom doors even if he wanted to go to class.

"Hey Junior, Big Mike."

"Hey Brick," replied Junior with a fist bump.

"Hhhmmmmmm," uttered Big Mike.

Justine set down her backpack and carefully crossed her arms on the table in front of her, as if she was determined to stare straight ahead in silence for the rest of the detention period. The other detention regulars watched her with great interest.

"Whoa," said Junior. "What's a nerd doing in detention?"

Vinnie leaned over to whisper in Brick's ear, although his voice was easily loud enough for Justine to overhear. "Man, I heard you two were makin' out on the science room floor!"

Mr. Barkin crashed the door open before Brick could respond, entering the room and sitting down behind his desk in a woefully tiny chair as he faced his charges. "There will be no studying, talking, or releasing of East African mammals while in detention. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"

"Yes sir."

Barkin nodded and turned his attention to papers he had to grade. Brick watched as his coach pored over the papers, occasionally shaking his head and pulling out a red pen. He thought it was strange that Mr. Barkin would give out so many detentions when he had to attend most of them and watch over the students personally. Sometimes another teacher would be assigned to the duty, but Barkin always subbed due to unforeseen circumstances. It was almost like Barkin was giving himself detention. Maybe he was a glutton for punishment, thought Brick. _Then again, maybe I'm a glutton for punishment too_, Brick told himself as he thought of Bonnie Rockwaller.

The quiet detention room was periodically interrupted by the rush of feet outside the door as students left the school to enjoy an afternoon of freedom, but by now the sound was dying down. Only a few stragglers were left in the hallways. Brick listened idly to the passerby outside the detention room door when he jumped in surprise at the sound of a locker crashing shut.

"_What?_" a familiar female voice echoed from the hallways. "You made out with _Tara_!?"

Mr. Barkin stood up at the commotion outside. "I'll be back in a minute. No one leaves!" The teacher pointed accusingly at Vinnie, Junior, and Big Mike as he left the room.

Brick grinned; it sounded like Ron Stoppable had not gotten the response he was expecting. He glanced over at Justine. She was still sitting straight as a ramrod and staring ahead, as if she did not want to acknowledge the fact that she was in detention. Brick thought there was something cute about her attitude.

"Hey, Justine."

The primly-dressed girl looked at him without responding.

"I don't wanna freak you out or anything, but do you wanna hang out sometime?"

"That would be fine."

Brick considered the fast response. He and Justine had already hung out before; perhaps she misunderstood. "Well, I meant like on a date. If that's cool and all."

"Oh. A date?"

"Yeah."

Justine was silent for a moment. She tried to feign indifference, avoiding Brick's gaze and looking at the wall clock as if it had something to do with making her decision. Justine had gotten the vague impression that Brick's behavior ever since he was assigned to her as a science partner seemed to have grown into something beyond mere friendliness, but she hadn't really expected him to ask her out on a date. But then, that hug in science class earlier seemed way too – how would she put it –_ hands on_ to just be excitement at getting a good grade.

Did Justine want to go out with a quarterback? She was hesitant. Brick certainly wasn't on her level in terms of academic ability, and her parents would probably not be happy about it. But then, he seemed nice. And good God was he hot. She finally turned to Brick. He was staring at her expectantly. Vinnie, Junior, and Big Mike all seemed to be waiting for her response as well.

"I suppose so," Justine said airily. "Why not."

"Awesome!"

Brick smiled in satisfaction and leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head. The Brickmeister shoots, he scores! He could feel Vinnie, Junior, and Big Mike gaping at him, but he wasn't embarrassed. Brick was lost in the thrill of success. If he had been paying attention, he might have noticed Justine trying to hide the blush that was painting her cheeks red.

XX

* * *

_**Notes** - Originally this story was going to be a one-shot, but when I began writing it I realized it would be too big for that. The end of this chapter was where I was going to end the story at first, but as you can see, I have various unresolved things going on. By the time I was done with chapter 2 I had a lot more ideas and had a general storyline mapped out to the end, so it's going to continue for quite a while._

_I'm happy people seem to be enjoying it so far. If you like it, feel free to leave a review, they're very encouraging! Well okay, maybe negative ones aren't as encouraging per se, but even those are cool to see someone's perspective! :)_


	5. Busted!

**Busted!**

XX

Justine's fingers moved in a flurry over the keyboard. Ron Reager and Lenny the stage hand peered over her shoulders and watched the computer's monitor in awe. Justine's face was masked with haughty indifference, but she was very pleased; both of the boys had scoffed at the idea that a girl could solve their programming problem, and Justine was currently putting them in their place.

"There you are!" she announced with a final click of the mouse. "Problem solved."

Ron sat down at the computer as she got out of the chair and reviewed her coding. "That rocks! I never thought of putting that variable inside the loop."

"It was no big deal," said Justine. "Not for me anyway."

Lenny the stage hand looked at Justine as if she was some kind of goddess. Justine enjoyed the attention, even though she could never tell whether Ron Reager or Lenny were being genuine. She didn't know Lenny very well – she didn't even know his last name – but he struck her as someone who would do anything for a little attention, considering how easily Bonnie and the seniors could get him to illuminate the senior lunch table with overhead lighting. Sometimes he would even trail Bonnie with the stage light when she entered the lunch room.

"So Justine," Lenny spoke falteringly, "I, uh, heard that Brick asked you out the other day?"

"Yes, he did."

"Did you say yes?"

"I told him I'd give it a try."

Ron and Lenny both looked at each other and giggled. "Going out with a jock?" asked Ron. "Isn't Brick a little on the dumb side for you, Justine?"

Justine could feel the two of them judging her. She felt the urge to agree with them, to let them know that she was not sacrificing her position. She knew where she stood in Middleton High – she was smart, an academic, a geek. And when it came to academic achievement, she was at the top of the ladder.

"He's dumb as a brick." The two boys grinned cruelly at Justine's pun. For some reason, Ron Reager seemed particularly pleased to hear it. "But he is good looking. I decided it was worth playing around with him for a while."

Justine felt a rush of guilt even before she finished speaking. She wasn't sure if Brick was really that stupid. The boy was not as intelligent as her, that was for sure, but hanging out and working on the science project with him had made Justine begin to question her preconceptions. She hadn't planned on insulting Brick, but Ron and Lenny had put her on the spot. She had to prove herself to them. She had to reaffirm their admiration. They both hated athletics – she knew that Ron Reager skipped gym constantly – and Justine could not risk looking too friendly towards the athletic types.

"I have to go," Justine said as she grabbed her backpack. She felt the urge to end the conversation before Brick could be brought up anymore. As Justine left the computer lab, distracted by unfamiliar feelings that roiled inside her, she failed to notice a pair of slitted green eyes watching her with interest.

Bonnie Rockwaller stood next to the water fountain adjacent to the computer room, pretending to take a drink. She had been standing there for quite a while. Bonnie smiled as she gazed at the 50's throwback outfit that Flanner had the audacity to wear. The conversation in the computer room had been very interesting. If the right opportunity presented itself, Bonnie knew it could be very useful as well.

XX

"Checkmate!"

Brick watched a lunch table from a distance as Tara King moved one of her last remaining chess pieces and cornered Kevin Guberman. The skinny teen threw his hands up in the air and then shrugged, adjusting his glasses with a smile.

"Jeez Tara, you're getting pretty good at this!"

Brick gathered the courage to walk over to the table. His nervousness was a strange feeling; normally he had no problem talking to people, but there was something about this situation that intimidated him. Brick had been leaning against a wall and casually watching the blonde and brown haired teens play chess together, and he had to admit that most of their moves seemed way over his head. They would move the pieces in a strange order, and sometimes one of them would gasp at a move that the other had just made, even though Brick saw nothing impressive about it. Tara and Kevin were definitely out of his league.

"Hey guys," said Brick as he approached the table. "You mind if I sit down?"

Kevin looked surprised to see the quarterback amongst the other chess players in the lunch room, but he quickly regained his composure and gave Brick a friendly smile. "Sure man! I've never seen you at chess club before."

"Well, I kinda played a game or two recently and I was thinking about joining up."

Tara squealed and clapped her hands together.

"Yes, that's my reaction too," laughed Kevin. "We could always use a few more players in the club. We just finished a game, do you want to play with one of us?"

Brick nodded as Kevin moved the set away from himself, happy to be a spectator to their game. Brick was relieved; he had half expected them to laugh at him when he mentioned that he was interested in trying chess out, but they seemed to be taking him seriously.

"So Brick, you and Justine are kind of an item now?" asked Tara.

"Yeah, you could say that."

Kevin's eyes grew wide. "Really? I hadn't heard that. High five, Brick!"

Brick enthusiastically slapped Kevin's raised hand, almost knocking the smaller teen completely off of the lunch table bench. "Right on, dude!" He gazed over the other students playing chess at other tables in the lunch room. "We're going out on a date tonight, actually. Is Justine here by the way?"

"I haven't seen her," said Kevin. "She comes to the club once in a while, but I think most of the time she's busy with homework or a project. She's always working on something."

Brick nodded knowingly; he had already seen first hand evidence of that. He realized he had not been paying attention to the beginning of the game with Tara. The cheerleader had already made several moves that seemed strange to him. Brick got a vague feeling that she was setting him up for a trap, but could not make out what kind of trap it might be.

"So Tara, how's it going with you and Stoppable?"

Tara blushed and lowered her eyes. "Pretty badical I guess. I haven't gotten the chance to hang out with him too much since the party, but it's been really nice!"

Brick laughed. "I bet! Really nice making out with him you mean."

Tara's blushed deepened to an even more brilliant shade of red.

"So come Tara, give us the goods. How's Stoppable at kissing?"

"That's none of your business, Brick!"

The quarterback could tell that Tara was not offended; her tone was playful, although he still got the impression that talking about her new relationship embarrassed her. Brick glanced at Kevin and noticed that he was acting a little strangely. He had been talkative a moment ago, but now it was like he was trying to ignore the conversation. Brick's attention returned to the chess game as Tara made another confounding move.

"How does Kim feel about you guys?" he asked Tara.

"Kim? I don't know, I haven't talked to her much. What do you mean?"

"You think she's jelling?"

"Why would she be? She and Ron are just friends."

Brick nodded. He inspected the chess set and put his bishop into play, sending the piece scurrying out between an opening in his pawns. Tara definitely wouldn't see this coming, he thought with delight.

Tara moved one of her knights and giggled. "Checkmate!"

"_What_?"

XX

Brick walked towards his front porch as the sun began to sink lower in the afternoon sky. His house looked warm and inviting. A hot orange glow spread itself against the wooden posts of the front porch railing, and the effect on the walls of the house was like a cross between a pumpkin and a zebra. Even though it was spring, Brick's home looked like autumn.

Brick had spent longer than he had expected at school, playing in chess club with Tara and Kevin and talking to various other people. He had also spent some time working out in the empty gym - sometimes Brick liked to have time to himself. He had forgotten to ask anyone for a ride, and most people had left school by the time he was ready to go home, so walking back to his house took a little while. Brick didn't mind; he spent most of the walk looking forward to his date.

He opened the door to find the inside of his house bathed in darkness. Closing the door behind him, he stumbled into the house and dumped his backpack beside the door; he wasn't planning on doing any homework tonight. Brick heard the familiar soft crackle of the television coming from the living room.

"Hey dad."

He found his father sitting on the living room recliner. It was a familiar sight.

"Hey Brick. How was school?"

"Pretty good."

Brick looked at the television. His father was watching a football game again; this time, however, Brick recognized the game. It was an old game, one that his father had on tape. One that his father would watch from time to time, when he was in a certain mood. Brick did not like to see his father watching the game.

"Do you have to watch that, dad?"

Mason Flagg turned to glance at his son. "Why not?"

Brick did not respond. He was about to go upstairs when his father noticed the backpack by the door. "Hey son, don't you got any homework to do tonight?"

"No dad. I'm going out tonight."

"Oh yeah? Who with?"

"Justine."

Mason raised an eyebrow at his son. "Is that right? This some kinda date we're talking about?"

"Come on, pop!"

Mason chuckled. "Just asking. What happened to that Bonnie girl?"

"We broke up."

"Didn't the two of you break up before?"

"Yeah, I guess I just want to try something new though."

Mason scratched his chin thoughtfully. "You oughta bring that Justine girl over here for dinner sometime, so I can see what I think of her."

"Sure dad. She's coming over here to pick me up, actually."

Mason shook his head as he watched the football game. His son getting picked up by a girl. Kids these days sure didn't know how things were done. "You want to let a girl pick you up, Brick? That might not look so great."

"Yeah, you're right. You'd better buy me a car!"

"Nice try."

Brick was about to go up to his room when he stopped at the base of the stairway and looked back. "Dad, have you been looking for any jobs yet?"

Mason shook his head. "Not yet. I got a check from the unemployment office this morning though."

Brick sighed. He didn't know how to motivate his father, how to get him back on his feet again; it was like he didn't want to try anymore. Brick knew it would be a waste of time saying anything now. His father was watching that football game, which meant he was thinking about the past. Probably thinking about mom. Brick chose to walk up the stairs to his room instead of saying anything. He was going out on a date, he was in a good mood, and his father was not going to ruin that. Let him deal with his own problems.

Brick rummaged through his dresser drawers in search of a nicer outfit than the one he was wearing. Brick was no fashion genius, but fortunately, his many experiences in shopping with Bonnie had supplied him with a wide array of decent choices. He took out a button down shirt and a pair of slacks – hopefully it would be attractive without being too formal. Justine seemed to look formal even when she was slumming it at home, so he wasn't sure what the proper outfit would be, but he thought his choice was a safe one.

Brick took off the shirt he was wearing and stood in front of the mirror, spritzing some _Adze_ body spray on himself and making sure his deodorant was fresh. He flexed his muscles and admired his well-built reflection.

"She thinks you're hot, dude," he said to himself. "She totally thinks you're hot. Who wouldn't?"

Brick kissed one of his biceps and stood back in a Bond-like pose. He picked up the button down shirt and put it on. It would definitely work well for the evening. He inspected the reflection and reconsidered his buttoning, undoing the top button to give his thick chest just a little bit more air.

"You talkin' to me?" Brick asked his mirror image. "I said, you talkin' to me?" He raised his voice an octave or two, even though it did not remotely match Justine's voice. "_Why yes Brick, yes I am. You're such a hunk._"

"_Brick_!"

The quarterback jumped in fright at the loud voice from downstairs. "Yeah pop?"

"Are you talking to yourself up there?"

"No way!"

"Fine. Either way, your date's here!"

XX

Justine watched in shock as her date slurped up another mouthful of spaghetti noodles without bothering to roll them with his fork beforehand. A few moments ago, she had been forced to use her napkin as a shield when one of the noodles whipped dangerously through the air and threw a fine spray of tomato sauce at her. Brick was one of the messiest eaters she had ever seen, although she caught glimpses of Ron Stoppable in the lunch room sometimes that made her shiver.

"Your father seemed nice," she said in an attempt to make conversation.

"Yeah, he's cool."

"What does he do?"

Brick paused between mouthfuls and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Well, he's kinda in between jobs right now. He's looking for something new though, it won't be long now."

"Does he like football too? I saw that he was watching a game."

"Oh yeah, he's a fan. We used to throw the ball around together all the time when I was a kid... I guess he's a big reason I got so interested in it. He used to love playing it."

Justine watched Brick stuff another mouthful of pasta in his mouth, this time making sure to include a meatball. She had been surprised to see his house when she first arrived to pick him up; it was small and looked a little run-down. She wondered if it bothered Brick. It didn't seem to... Brick seemed so carefree most of the time that she wondered if anything bothered him.

The sight of Brick coming down the stairs from his bedroom had caught Justine off guard as well. The sight of Brick had caught her off guard in the past, especially if she started daydreaming about that bare chest at football practice, but on this particular occasion she had been surprised by Brick's clothing. His well-dressed appearance contrasted with the gloomy appearance of his home, and with the clothing he usually wore.

Justine looked down at her own outfit. She hadn't thought of the fact that she was gong on was a date and had just worn the same thing she always wore. Patterned skirt. Monochrome shirt with white collar. Socks pulled high. And of course, her favorite, a hair band. She supposed it did the job.

"What about you?" Brick asked through a mouth full of half chewed food. "What do your parents do?"

"My father is in business. My mother works at the Middleton Medical Center."

"Cool!" said Brick. "I think Kim's mom works there too! What does your mom do there, physics?"

Justine crinkled her nose at Brick.

"Er, never mind. Pretend I didn't say that. I was wondering why you got into physics, if it was your parents that got you into it or something. Physics is what you're interested in most, right?"

Justine shrugged. "They've tried to get me into a lot of things. Physics is what stuck the most, I guess. I like trying to understand how the universe behaves, why things are the way they are. It seemed more significant to me than most fields."

"What kind of physics are you into?"

"All kinds, but I am particularly well known for my work in particle physics. I'm really interested in the study of neutrino masses."

"Neutrinos? Sounds like something we ate for dinner."

"Yes," continued Justine, ignoring Brick's comment, "but that's not all I'm interested in. I'm talented in a lot of subjects."

"No kidding," agreed Brick. "Hey, do you mind if I grab a little food from your plate?"

Justine shook her head and shoved the plate over. Brick was like a black hole from which food could not escape. Restaurant portions were always too large for Justine to finish, but Brick apparently had no trouble going through them. She watched as, for some reason, he ate the pasta while ignoring the meatballs.

"Hey Justine, how many meatballs can you fit in your mouth?"

"Excuse me?"

"You think like five or six?"

Justine sniffed. This was easily the strangest date she'd ever been on. Of course, she could count her past dates on one hand, and that was being generous. At first she refused to dignify Brick's question with a response, but she noticed him pass the plate gently back to her with an expectant stare. Was he serious? There was something hard not to like about his expression; Justine was surprised to find herself trying not to laugh.

"You really want me to shove meatballs in my mouth?" she asked.

Brick nodded.

The restaurant was not very crowded. Justine looked around furtively to see if anyone was paying attention to them. She couldn't believe it, but she felt a growing urge to do it. It was as if Brick had challenged her; she couldn't back down now.

Justine hunched her head closer to the plate. "Make sure no one's looking at us, Brick!" she whispered.

The meatballs sat on the plate alone, cleared of their pasta covering, like they were waiting to be eaten. Justine tensed herself for a moment before grabbing a handful of meatballs with both hands and stuffing them into her mouth. She felt triumphant – that must have been at least five or six! Her triumph turned to fear as she realized that she had no idea how to swallow – or even chew - such a large amount of meatballs.

"Are the two of you ready for your check?" an impeccably-dressed waiter asked as he appeared beside the table out of nowhere.

"Whampf?"

Justine turned to the waiter in surprise and forgot that her mouth was full, spraying meatballs over his spotless shirt. The meatballs left a red pattern on his white clothing and rolled away across the floor. The restaurant's chatter dropped off into complete silence.

Brick burst into uncontrollable laughter at the mortified expression shared by Justine and their waiter. Justine looked around, not even bothering to wipe her mouth; most of the restaurant had turned to stare at them. She narrowed her eyes in accusation at Brick for a moment, but she had to admit it was a ridiculous situation. Not only that, but it was kind of difficult to stay mad at Brick. Before she knew it, she was laughing even harder than her date.

XX

Justine pulled up to her house. It was still early in the evening, but the sky had turned completely dark and the car's headlights cast a soft glow over the impeccably trimmed shrubbery that lined her driveway. She parked the car in the driveway as she and Brick got out. After their dinner, Justine had suggested that Brick come over and watch a little television with her. She knew that tonight, her parents were most likely still busy at their jobs.

"How come you didn't pull the car into the garage?" asked Brick.

"Oh." Justine smiled. "Remember when we were talking at dinner about what kinds of things I had an interest in?"

"Yeah."

Justine walked over to the leftmost garage door, in front of her parked car, and lifted it up with a loud clatter. She walked inside as Brick followed her; the automatic light was on, but Justine went ahead and flipped the lights on permanently. Brick stood in the garage and stared in awe as Justine pulled the metal doors back down behind them.

The right side of the garage was occupied by another car; Brick assumed that it belonged to Justine's parents. The left side, however, looked like a mad scientist's laboratory. Justine's garage was larger than most - certainly larger than Brick's single car garage – but every inch of the space in which they stood was occupied by work benches, metallic debris, strange equipment, and, in the center of the space, a menacing looking object.

Brick walked around the garage and briefly looked at the work benches covered in tools, books, and schematics, but his attention quickly shifted to the center of the room. He looked at the strange object that sat on the concrete floor. It was clearly not finished, as various pieces of wiring and metallic nodules jutted out of its body. Still, it had a definite shape.

"Is this a robot?"

Justine nodded. "I've been working on it in my spare time, for fun. I guess you could say it's a hobby of mine."

"This is awesome! What are you going to do with it when it's built?"

"There's a local contest in Middleton called the Robot Rumble. A lot of people go there and fight with robots they've made. Sometimes you can get prizes, but mostly it's just fun to see the robots fighting."

Brick gaped at her as if she had just sprouted wings and launched herself into the air. He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Do you watch the show _Murderbots_?"

Justine's eyes lit up. "Do I ever!"

"I love that show!"

"I _know_! It's the coolest show ever made! Also, my shoulders kind of hurt Brick."

"Oh, sorry about that." Brick released his grip and looked back at the robot. He had no idea how close it was to being finished, but even in its crippled state, Brick thought it looked vaguely dangerous. He wished that he had the kind of talent that Justine had.

"Hey Justine... do you think I could help you with this?"

Justine was not sure how to answer Brick; he had no experience in anything related to building a robot, at least not that she knew of. She doubted Brick could help her. Then again, Justine had refused to let Kim help her on their science project, and while Kim couldn't have contributed much to building a Kinematic Continuum Disruptor, she had been able to understand Justine's notes. Partnering with Kim had ended up being an interesting experience. Maybe it would be interesting to do it with Brick as well.

"Maybe," said Justine after a moment of consideration. "There's going to be another Robot Rumble meeting before too long. Maybe you should come along and see if you're interested."

"That would be totally sweet!"

Justine leaned against the hood of her parents car while she watched Brick looking around at her robot work area. She remembered that her parents had not been happy with giving up half of the garage to her, but it's not like they were using the space anyways. Not to mention that they didn't have much stuff to store in the garage; certainly no gardening tools or lawnmowers.

Brick began to stand around awkwardly. Justine assumed he had seen everything he wanted to see. "So," he said, "we gonna go watch TV?"

Justine pondered the question. Television was an option. There might be a repeat of _Murderbots_ playing. Then again, there were other options.

"Do you want to make out with me instead?"

Brick was taken aback for a moment, but recovered quickly. "Do you have to ask?"

Justine felt a thrilling sensation run down her spine as Brick approached her and wrapped a muscular arm around her body. Her back arched as he pushed her gently against the hood of her parent's car and met her lips with his own. Cold chrome pressed against the back of her shirt, caressing her skin, while Brick's warm flesh radiated against her. It was a strange contrast, and it excited her. She felt an aggression, a hunger, as she pushed back against Brick and opened her mouth wider, hands traveling an aimless course over his body. She was overwhelmed, and yet she couldn't get enough.

"Brick..."

"_Justine Flanner!_"

"What?"

Justine pulled back to look at Brick in confusion. Her date hadn't said anything. Behind him stood two figures in the doorway that led from the house to the garage.

"Hi mom. Hi dad."

XX

Montgomery Fiske scoffed.

The sound echoed out from his bedroom and through the dark halls of his lair. Fiske – or Monkey Fist, as he liked to be called – was reading a book on the evolutionary origins of modern apes. He could not get to sleep, so he sat in bed with his legs crossed beneath him, his book illuminated by the light of a nearby lamp. Monkey Fist had read the book before, but sometimes he liked to pick it up again. Just to laugh at the poor research.

It was amazing how easily people could get paid for such shoddy work. But then, he had gotten paid for his knowledge and research back when he was a renowned archaeologist, before he had fallen off the academic map. There was no use in petty emotions like jealousy when Monty himself had chosen to take the road less traveled. In his line of work, money was nothing compared to the rewards he could achieve.

Monkey Fist chuckled at a particularly idiotic line of text. He clapped a hand to his mouth, stifling himself, when the figure beside him began to stir in bed. _Curses!_ thought Monkey Fist. _I must learn to keep quiet!_

"Mmmm... wha... what was that?" The figure turned over, throwing off some of the covers and turning to face Monkey Fist.

"Nothing, my dear Amy. Sssh. Go to sleep now."

Amy Hall muttered drowsily, peering out through half-lidded eyes. To some, she was known as DNAmy; to Monkey Fist, she was known as a relationship that he was beginning to regret. It was true that she had given him his simian hands and feet, but she could be insufferable.

"Mmm, Montykins... do you want to cuddle?"

"I think not, Amy. I do not cuddle."

Amy tittered faintly. "Everybody wants to cuddle, Monty. Even Cuddlesaurus Rex wanted to cuddle."

Monkey Fist sighed. If he heard about Cuddlesaurus Rex one more time, he was going to go insane. Hadn't enough time passed? "Amy, you informed me that your Cuddlesaurus is forever lost in the void beyond space and time. Perhaps you should try to move on?"

"Maybe," replied Amy with a yawn. "I just miss him a little... wish I could have played with him a little longer. He wasn't that bad, really, just hungry. People were so mean to him..." Amy's voice floated away as she began to doze off again. Monkey Fist sighed in relief and turned back to his book; perhaps he should be reading elsewhere. Even though he wasn't paying attention, he could vaguely make out a name that Amy uttered before her thoughts disappeared completely into the realm of dreams.

"Justine Flanner..."


	6. New Experiences

**New Experiences**

XX

"Breakfast is served, monkey-wunkey!"

Monkey Fist shivered at the term of endearment. However, he looked at the breakfast tray that Amy had set up on the bed for him and had to admit that it looked delicious. Dating DNAmy, while proving to be an uncomfortable life choice, had its perks.

"Thank you, Amy."

"I got you your favorite cereal the other day!" said Amy, pointing to the bowl of Simi-o's on the tray.

Monkey Fist nodded as he began to chop slices from a banana he held over the cereal bowl. It was a children's cereal, but Monkey Fist believed certain things were just an obligation if an evil mastermind wanted to maintain a simian theme.

"Did you get a nice beauty rest?" asked Amy.

"I suppose."

"Well, I'm glad _somebody_ did, because I was tossing and turning the whole night!"

"Yes, I noticed."

Amy sighed wistfully. "I had bad dreams about my poor Cuddlesaurus, all alone. Banished to the impenetrable void of infinity. It's just a shame!" she chirped.

Monkey Fist chewed on a mouthful of banana and monkey-head-shaped cereal. It was clear that Amy wasn't going to let go of this Cuddlesaurus thing. He supposed it was why she collected so many Cuddle Buddies; just one of those obsessive personalities. He had not seen the creature himself, but Amy had told him about the incident many times, about how Kim Possible and that girl, Justine what-was-her-name, sucked it into a vortex.

Amy was different from many other villains that Monkey Fist had met, but when it came to ranting about her defeats at the hands of teen heroes, she was exactly the same. Monkey Fist shared Amy's dislike for Kim Possible, but Amy seemed to hold a special grudge against the creator of that strange device that had banished her pet from their dimension.

Kim Possible and that Justine girl both went to Middleton High School. Along with Ron Stoppable. Monkey Fist narrowed his eyes and crushed the tea cup he had been holding. He began to wonder if he could use Amy to his own advantage.

"Oh Amy?"

"Yes Montykins?"

"You know, if you really miss your Cuddlesaurus, perhaps we could find a way to get him back."

"Oh Monty, do you really mean it?" Amy clapped a hand to her heart.

"But of course, my dear."

Monkey Fist, having finished with his breakfast, set the tray aside and got out of bed. He began to walk down a spiral staircase as Amy followed excitedly behind him. "Of course, if we are going to get this monster of yours back -"

"He's not a monster, Monty!"

"- Yes, of course. If we are going to retrieve this cuddly carnivorous cutie from whatever dimension it is currently floating in, we need some reason to do so."

Amy scratched her head. "To save it, of course!"

"No, beyond that," laughed Monkey Fist. "A creature like this Cuddlesaurus _must_ be useful if we want to bend the world to our will."

"Do we want to do that?"

"Yes. Yes we do. Now," Monkey Fist continued as the spiral staircase opened up into his lair's sprawling library, "we need to form a plan."

XX

Justine could smell bacon and eggs cooking in the kitchen. She stood at the bottom of the stairwell, hesitant to follow her nose. Breakfast smelled good, but it meant that her parents were cooking it, which was a freakishly unusual occurrence. Normally they grabbed a plain bagel or an energy bar in their rush to work, if they had anything to eat at all.

Last night, after Brick had excused himself to go home in a hurry, Justine's parents had been strangely quiet about the lip-locking session they had witnessed. Apparently they had just been saving their comments until morning. Judging by the delicious breakfast scent wafting past her nose, Justine assumed they were waiting to ambush her in the kitchen. Never had breakfast smelled so dangerous.

"Hey mom, hey dad," said Justine as she strolled into the kitchen with an air of casual indifference. That's right, mom and dad. Nothing happened. Just here to grab a bite to eat.

"Justine, would you mind sitting down for a moment?"

"Sure," she said as she piled a plate with eggs, bacon, and toast. That was it; she had walked right into their trap. As if she had any alternative. She poured herself a glass of orange juice and sat down, still trying to maintain an air of naïve innocence as she shoveled food into her mouth.

"Do you want to talk about what happened last night?" her mother asked.

Justine considered the question. "No, not really." If her mother was going to give her the option...

"Well, we'd like to talk about it. Are you going out with this Brick character?"

"I guess so."

"You guess so?"

"Well, yesterday was our first date."

"And do all the young ladies at school make out on their first dates?"

"I haven't asked them, mother."

Leona Flanner gave her husband a reprimanding look, as if encouraging him to join in.

"Ah, yes," Ted Flanner coughed, putting down his silverware and swallowing a mouthful of food. "Um, Justine, we've been a little concerned about your behavior lately. We still don't understand why you were given that detention the other day. Was that because of this Brick boy?"

"No." Justine knew she was lying, but her parents wouldn't understand the circumstances.

"You've never gotten a detention before. It was a little alarming to us."

"It's no big deal. Mr. Barkin just overreacted. It won't happen again."

"I should hope not," replied Leona. She didn't want to be too hard on her daughter, but she knew how much potential her daughter had, how much she had already achieved. She did not want to see her daughter wasting her time and squandering her abilities.

"Justine, honey, I can't tell you who to like and who not to like. I just don't understand why you're interested in this boy. I know I haven't gotten to know him very well, but he did not seem very intelligent when he was over here working on that project with you. And you said he was a quarterback?"

"Yes," mumbled Justine.

"How much can he possibly have in common with you? I doubt that academic achievement is very high on his list of priorities. If this is just about how he looks, honey, I know it can be tempting, but believe me when I tell you that the pleasures of the flesh -"

"_Mother_!"

"Okay, okay. I'm just trying to understand this. There must be some nice boy in one of your classes that might be interesting. Maybe someone else who likes physics?"

Justine did not know what to say. She could not put her thoughts into words; perhaps she only liked Brick because of his body, perhaps there was more to it than that. She hadn't had the chance to think about it. Wasn't that was dating was for? Justine wasn't sure, but her mother was making it even more confusing.

"I just think you can do better, honey. You deserve so much. There's no reason for a girl like you to settle for less."

Justine had finished her breakfast, and her mother and father seemed to be staring at her as if they were trying to decipher a coded message.

"I'm going to be late. I need to go to school now."

Justine left the room so quickly that she almost forgot to take her backpack. Her head was a jumble of thoughts, jostling each other to get to the surface. She felt annoyed by her parent's questioning, but on the other hand, she had a lot of respect for them – her mother in particular – and she couldn't help but listen to their words. She thought she liked Brick. But her parents had asked her a question, a question she was now asking herself.

Why?

XX

Brick walked down the hallway with one arm holding the strap of his backpack and the other wrapped around his new girlfriend. He was the center of attention, and he loved it. An amazing variety of emotions were thrown from the faces of fellow students; surprise, incredulousness, amusement, even anger. He noticed Justine smirk at a few somewhat nerdy girls who enviously watched them pass by.

"Alright, I'll catch you later Justine!" said Brick when they arrived at the gym doors.

"Bye Brickie-wickie."

Brick assumed that Justine was trying out pet names. He was flattered, but hopefully she would choose a different one eventually. Justine leaned up to give him a quick peck on the cheek and left him to gym class.

"Flagg, where have you been? You're late," barked Barkin as Brick walked in.

"Sorry Mr. B."

"Go get changed! Also, wipe that lipstick off your cheek, it's disgusting!"

"Yes sir!"

Brick went into the locker room to put away his backpack and change into his gym clothes; some of his classmates had already finished changing and gone back to the gym, but some were still in the room. Steve Farley and Eddie Jackson waved at him as he entered.

"What's up, Brick?"

"Not much Eddie."

"I haven't gotten the chance to chill with you in a while, man. What's been going on?"

"Sorry, I guess I've been a little busy lately."

"So I hear," said Steve. "Busy making the beast with two backs with Flanner, huh?"

Brick laughed. "Come on man, it's not like that."

"I dunno," said Eddie. "You've been acting a little weird lately. Hanging out with Justine? I just hope you aren't ditching your real friends to hang out with somebody who looks down on you."

"What?"

Eddie finished putting his gym clothes on and closed his locker. "She looks down on you. What did you think, man? She's always trying to act like she's better than everybody. She's probably just going out with you to make fun of you or something."

"Just drop it, Eddie." Brick was tired of hearing his friend's opinion. He didn't know what Eddie's problem was; it wasn't like Brick asked for his opinion anyway.

Brick returned to the gym room and began his exercise routines with the rest of the class as Barkin berated them for their improper form. Normally gym class was one of Brick's favorite classes; being one of the biggest guys in the school, barring Big Mike of course, Brick could always rely on excelling in gym. There was no insecurity. Not only that, but Brick always found that exercising and playing games took his mind off things. Physical activity, in a strange way, relaxed him. Today, however, Eddie's attitude was making him feel tense. He couldn't wait to hang out with Justine in the afternoon.

XX

"Hey Stoppable!"

Brick took his hand from Justine's waist for a moment and waved at the sandy-haired boy, who was currently trying to put some books back in his locker and prevent a flood of assorted junk from falling out at the same time. The bell had just rung for the end of school, and it looked like he was excited to be leaving. Kim and Tara were both standing to either side of him. Brick shook his head in wonder; if he didn't know any better, he might have gotten the impression that Stoppable actually had game.

"Hey, what's up B-man!"

"Me and Justine were just going to hang out, maybe at the park or something."

"Oh yeah?" Ron tried to close his locker against the bulging mass of junk and only managed to wedge it halfway shut, which he decided was enough. "Me and Tara and Kim are going to go hang out at Bueno Nacho. It's our usual routine. Well, me and Kim's usual routine anyway."

Tara smiled cheerfully and grabbed Ron around the waist. "I'm tagging along!"

"You guys eat at Bueno Nacho this early?"

Kim, whose view was being blocked by Ron and Tara as they embraced each other, piped up from behind them. "We like to just hang out and talk there. And Ron likes to have easy access to food all day long, if it's possible."

"Oh, sweet. You guys mind if me and Justine come along too?"

"Sounds badical to me! The more the merrier, am I right?" Ron gave Tara a kiss on the cheek.

"Justine's got a car, so we could just pile in there. We'll lead the way."

Brick and Justine walked towards the school entrances. Kim tried her best to sidle up beside Ron, ignoring the way Tara was clinging to him.

"Hey Ron," she whispered. "What's up with Brick hanging out with us all of a sudden?"

"I dunno KP. Why?"

"It just seems strange. I mean, he's nice, but have we ever really 'hung out' before?"

"I guess not. I'm cool with it though. It's all good in the neighborhood."

Tara laughed at the comment, far too uproariously in Kim's opinion, as the trio followed Brick and Justine out of the school and into the bright Middleton afternoon weather.

XX

"I think Stoppable eats more than I do," observed Brick.

He and Justine sat in one side of a Bueno Nacho booth, while Kim sat on the other. Ron and Tara were currently at the registers, ordering yet another Naco combo meal. Brick had eaten a lot, but he was full; Ron's appetite seemed to have no end.

"It's really Rufus," explained Kim. "Ron does eat a lot, but the way Rufus darts in and out and grabs anything you're not watching makes it look like the food is disappearing much faster."

Brick watched the way Tara clung to Ron and laughed at his comments. He thought that Kim had been acting a bit strangely since they decided to go to the Bueno Nacho. As if she was being a little _too_ normal. "So, how do you feel about Ron and Tara being a couple now?"

"Me? Great. Ron's a lucky guy!"

"Yeah, he really scored big, going out with Tara." Brick noticed Justine's subtle glare. "Um, not that Tara's that great or anything. I mean she's hot. Average hot. Hot like Justine. But a little less!" He decided that he had covered his tracks well.

"Yeah, Tara's had a crush on him for a little while. I'm surprised he never noticed it before," said Kim.

Justine took a bite out of her Naco. She had wanted to order a salad, but Brick informed her that salads were for girls. After Justine pointed out that she was a girl, Brick had explained that he was being metaphysical. This comment had prompted her to give up and order a Naco.

Justine had been quiet during their trip to Bueno Nacho, because she was a little nervous about such an unusual social situation. She wasn't a hermit, but normally she interacted with certain types of people, oftentimes in the context of schoolwork or competitions or research. Going out with Brick Flagg was a new experience to her; throwing people like Kim, Ron, Tara, and Monique into the mix made it even more unfamiliar. However, she was surprised to find herself growing more comfortable with the situation. Especially with Brick sitting next to her and making conversation.

"To be honest, I thought the two of you had been going out for a while," said Justine.

Kim laughed. "Me? Ron? Going out? Nope, just friends, that's all! Best friends since pre-K. Good times... good times!"

Kim gave another nervous laugh and pounded her fist on the table for emphasis, knocking over her soda. Brick and Justine were both slightly disturbed.

"What's good times?" asked Ron as he returned to the table with a tray of food. "Make way for the Ron man, Kim. I'm squeezing in!"

"Let me go first," said Tara as she darted into the booth next to Kim, before Ron could enter. "That way you have more room on the aisle seat!"

"That's a great idea, Tara! You're so thoughtful."

Kim was pushed up against the booth window as Ron and Tara squeezed in. Brick noticed that Kim was correct; Ron's tray, which had looked like it was almost brimming with food on the way over to the booth, was now about half full. Rufus had appeared on the table, seemingly out of thin air. His stomach bulged like a grapefruit.

"Mm, hey Brick!" squeaked the mole rat.

"Hey little dude. I'm watching my Naco, so don't try anything."

Rufus gave the quarterback a wink.

"Kim, girl!" The booth's occupants turned to see Monique walking through the Bueno Nacho doors. "You didn't tell me you guys were coming here after school!"

"Um, Monique, we come here like every day."

"Fair enough. Scoot over, Brickie-boy!" Monique slid into the booth, which was becoming quite crowded. "Hey Ron, you're sitting in the aisle... would you mind getting me a number seven combo?"

Ron was about to get up when he paused in confusion. "Wait... Monique, you're in the aisle too."

"Well yeah, I just wanted to rest a little... please?" Monique batted her eyelashes.

"Well, alright."

Kim stared at Monique in disbelief as Ron left for the counters again. "That was a bit shameless, Monique."

"Yeah, I didn't think it would actually work though. Hi Tara, hi Justine." She noticed that Brick's massive figure left her barely enough room to stay in the booth without falling out. "Justine, I gotta tell you girl, I'm jelling a little over your new boyfriend here!"

Justine looked prickly for a moment until she realized that the comment was in jest. "Yes... Brick is a whole lot of man," she said, trying to imitate Monique's attitude.

"Why don't you flex those pecs for us, Brick?" asked Monique.

"Flexing the pectoral muscles isn't actually that impressive," explained Brick. "Those are the muscles in your che-"

"Flex your biceps then, boy. I was just trying to be cute, sheesh!"

Brick dutifully extended his arms and flexed. Monique squeezed a massive bicep and squealed. Justine noticed what she was doing and felt Brick's other bicep, just to make sure she wasn't being outdone.

"Ladies, if you wanted to check out some guns, you could have just asked," said Ron as he returned to the booth with a tray for Monique.

"Ron, you don't have biceps," Monique replied.

"Well, that hurts. I'll just take that tray back, thank you very much!"

"I'm just teasing you. Here, give me a flex."

Ron extended an arm enthusiastically, his muscles exhibiting no noticeable change. Monique felt his bicep and squealed anyways, while Ron's date narrowed her deep blue eyes.

"You're a little feisty today, Monique," observed Kim.

"What can I say. I am in a good mood. I've been playing around with a few new clothing designs that I'm feeling pretty psyched about. One of them has a hair band, Justine!"

Justine nodded. "Excellent."

"By the way girl, you and Brick went out on a date the other day, right? Give me the juicy details!"

"We had Italian," said Brick. "Justine barfed out a bunch of meatballs on our waiter."

"_What_? That's not what happened?"

Unfortunately, Justine was munching on a large mouthful of Naco when she responded to Brick's comment, which promptly went spraying out across the table.

"Eww!"

"Yeah, just like that!" laughed Brick.

"I was trying to see how many meatballs would fit in my mouth. That was a perfectly legitimate reason for me to spray meatballs on the waiter."

"Sounds legit to me!" said Ron. "I bet I can beat your record." He began to stuff a Chimarito into his mouth as fast as he could.

Kim rolled her eyes in disgust. "Ron, there's no way to even convert a meatball count to the amount of Chimarito you can stuff in your face. How are you going to figure out who can -"

"Winning doesn't matter, Kim!" exclaimed Tara. "What matters is that you try!"

The blonde cheerleader promptly stuffed a Chimarito into her own mouth. Brick, Monique, and Justine – after a moment of hesitation - all followed suit with whatever food was at hand, trying to restrain their laughter as Kim looked on in horror.

XX

"I can't believe Ned asked us to leave!"

Kim was stricken with embarrassment. Justine also looked a little embarrassed, but no one else seemed to care very much. Most of the group walked towards Justine's car, but Ron and Tara seemed to be hanging back a bit and laughing at some inside joke between the two of them. Brick was trying to fight the urge to barf; keeping up with Ron's eating habits was more of a challenge than he had expected.

"Hey guys, we're gonna walk back to the school and get my scooter," said Ron to the rest of the group.

"Bye Ron! Bye Tara." Kim waved at the pair as they walked off together.

Brick looked up at the sky. It was still bright out, but the brilliant blue of the sky was beginning to take on a more yellowish tint as the afternoon dragged on. They must have spent a long time at the Bueno Nacho. Brick wondered how Kim and Ron could do that all the time and still be able to go on missions. He was impressed with Kim in particular; he knew she was a straight A student. Both Kim and Justine seemed like the kind of people who could do anything they put their minds to, and still leave time for themselves to relax. It was like they did things effortlessly. Brick envied them.

"What's up, Justine?" he asked when he noticed his girlfriend getting out a cell phone.

"I have to call my parents."

Justine dialed a number on the phone, and someone on the other end picked up immediately. "Hello mom. Yes, I know, sorry. I was working with someone after school and it ran a little late. I'll be home soon."

Kim raised an eyebrow as Justine flipped the phone shut and returned it to her shirt pocket. "Lying to your parents, Justine? I'm shocked." Kim was teasing a little, but she was surprised.

"They've been a little upset with me lately. I thought it might sound better if I said I was doing some work."

"Why are they upset with you?" asked Brick. "It's not that detention I got you into, is it? I'm really sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it." Justine opened her car door. "I'm going to have to get home. Who needs a ride?"

"I'll take it if you're offering," said Monique.

Brick and Kim declined the offer. Brick wasn't ready to go home yet; he felt like enjoying the weather a little longer, and he had a sudden interest in talking to Kim. Brick was about to suggest they go for a walk when a catchy jingle rung out from Kim's cargo pants. The red-headed teen pulled out a blue device; Brick recognized it from a few times in the past when Kim had been called on a mission at school.

"Hey Wade," she said to the Kimmunicator. "What's the sitch?"

"Hey Kim. I've gotten some reports that Dementor and his henchmen are on the move to -"

Wade stopped abruptly as Brick leaned over beside Kim and peered at the Kimmunicator's screen. "Hey, you're Kim's computer dude!"

"Yes, we've met already. You're that dating-Justine-Flanner dude."

"Right on! How did you know?"

"Anyway," Wade went on, "I've been tracking Dementor in Greece. I'm not sure what he's planning, but he has a boat and a lot of henchmen with him. Something seems fishy. I thought you might want to check it out."

"Can do, Wade. Just send somebody to pick me up at the Bueno Nacho, please and thank you!"

"No problem." Wade turned off his feed and Kim pocketed the Kimmunicator.

"Sorry Brick, but it looks like I'm off on a mission."

"What about Stoppable? Maybe you should flag him down before he runs off with Tara."

Kim frowned. "No, that's alright. He's been busy with her lately... I don't want to interrupt them. I'm sure I can handle this one alone."

Brick felt disappointed. He had wanted to hang out with Kim, partly because he felt the need to talk to someone about his new and unfamiliar relationship with Justine, and partly because he just didn't feel like going home yet. Brick knew his father would be there, and he didn't really feel like having to badger him about looking for work again. He watched Kim as she walked over to an empty table outside the Bueno Nacho to wait for her ride, and an idea popped into his head.

"Hey Kim!"

"Yeah?"

"What if I tag along?"

Kim looked at Brick like he had sprouted a new head.

"Well, tell me if I'm wrong, but Stoppable is usually like the distraction, right? I could do that!"

"I don't know, Brick. These missions can be dangerous sometimes. You really want to come along?"

Brick nodded. "I'm kind of interested in seeing what you guys do. I guess I feel like trying something new."

Kim nodded. Brick appeared to be genuinely interested in coming along; she supposed he was trying to break out of his comfort zone, what with dating Justine, hanging out with her and Ron instead of his usual athlete friends, and now this. She decided Brick could be useful as a distraction. He did not have the Ron factor, but perhaps she needed to see the Brick factor in action.

"Alright. If you're sure. Just be ready to run around in circles a lot!"


	7. Going Greek

**Going Greek**

XX

"Thanks for the ride, Alex!"

Alex nodded at the teen hero. "No problem at all, Kim. It's the least I could do after you helped figure out what was killing all my olive trees last year!"

Kim waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, that was mostly Wade's solution, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"Making a _pit_ stop at my orchard, huh?"

Kim smiled, humoring the pilot. "Exactly."

"Still, I can't believe you saved _olive_ my trees."

Kim nodded. Alex was a entertaining ride, but he was a chatterbox. She was usually relieved to be skydiving out of his plane by the time they reached whatever villain's lair she was headed for. This flight had actually been more peaceful than usual; Kim wondered if it was because Ron was not there to talk up a storm with Alex. Brick had been fairly quiet. Taking in the new experience, Kim assumed.

"Boy, your sidekick has really beefed up."

"Oh, he's not my normal sidekick. He's Brick."

Brick was engrossed with the early morning scenery outside of the plane's passenger side window, which he had taken after calling shotgun as he and Kim had boarded the plane. They had left the previous afternoon, and it was now early the next morning; the sun had not yet risen. Brick thought there was something mesmerizing about the twinkling lights of the town below.

He turned at the sound of his name. "Say what?"

"Nothing." Kim grabbed another parachute and handed it to Brick, who stared in confusion. "Ready to go, Brick?"

"Go where?"

"Um, go and find out what Dementor is up to. We're over the town now, we need to get a move on."

"We're going to skydive?" Brick looked at the parachute backpack in horror.

"Yeah, that's normally the sitch for getting out of a flying plane."

Brick got out of the passenger seat and strapped the pack onto himself with a gulp. "Alright, pilot dude. We're off to fight evil!"

Kim showed her temporary sidekick how to operate the parachute – she had showed him already before they boarded the plane, but clearly Brick had not been paying attention. This time, Brick carefully noted everything Kim was saying.

Red hair billowed out as Kim leaped from the plane and into the warm Mediterranean air. Brick was planning on taking a moment to gather his wits, but noticed himself flying through the air as well. Kim had pulled him out of the plane with her holding onto his hand. He wondered if his shocked attitude towards the idea of parachuting had made her a little nervous at letting him jump on his own. After sailing through the air for a few moments, he also wondered if they made barf bags for skydivers.

XX

Brick couldn't believe he had never visited Greece before. He walked beside Kim Possible on a seaside promenade, enjoying the view of dark ocean topped by an indigo sky. Other nice views passed him by in the form of attractive girls, enjoying an early morning walk. Brick was already loving the mission.

The two of them had landed in a town on the northern coast of Crete, where they were going to borrow a speedboat that Wade had rented for them in order intercept Dementor's ship off the coast. They still didn't know what the villain was up to, but Wade was keeping track of his location. After walking through town, however, Brick decided he wouldn't mind letting Dementor carry out his evil plans while he had a little fun on the beach instead.

Two particularly attractive girls in flowery dresses and wide-brimmed hats gave Brick a once-over as they passed him by.

"Hey ladies. Looking good," said Brick. He noticed Kim shoot him a disapproving glance. "Um, except that I'm taken!" he called over his shoulder.

Kim watched in amusement. "Enjoying the sights, are you?"

"Maybe a little. Come on, you don't notice any of these hot Greek dudes?"

"I've got my mind set on the mission, Brick!" she said, a little too defensively.

"Suuure."

Brick admired the buildings lining the promenade as they walked. The architecture was an attractive mixture of old and new. Numerous patios and storefronts, shaded by awnings, beckoned to passing pedestrians. He was almost drawn against his will into a quaint restaurant from which a tantalizing smell wafted out into the street. A few diners were seated at candlelit tables set up on a patio outside the restaurant, eating meals that made Brick's mouth water. Several of the tables were open.

"You sure we can't just hang out here and get something to eat?"

Kim shook her head. "Gotta get to Dementor and put a wrench in his plans."

"Who did you say this Dementor guy was, anyway? Some German dude?"

"I _think_ he's German. He's a really short guy with a helmet. He has no volume control on his voice, either."

"Like Barkin?"

Kim laughed. "Exactly. He's pretty ridiculous, but he's usually a little tougher than Drakken."

"The blue guy."

"You got it!"

Brick wondered why villains always had to look so strange. Perhaps the normal looking villains became CEO's and politicians instead.

Kim pulled out her Kimmunicator and called Wade up. "Hey Wade, tell us if we're going in the right direction."

Wade took a second to pinpoint their location. "Yeah, just a little ways ahead, I'll tell you when you get there. You know, I'm pretty jealous. You guys could go visit Knossos if you wanted, or visit a museum. The Minoans are just fascinating."

"See!" said Brick as he nudged Kim's shoulder. "The computer dude agrees with me, we should be chilling out a little. A Minoan museum sounds awesome. Are they like a Greek sports team?"

Kim cut Wade off before he could respond. "Wade, stop encouraging Brick."

"Okay, fine. I'll let you know when you get to your boat."

Kim pocketed the Kimmunicator and flipped her hair a little to feel the ocean breeze on her head.

Brick watched as a flock of birds sailed over the ocean. "I can't believe you and Ron get to go to Greece and stuff. Maybe I should tag along on more missions."

"It's not like we're _always_ going to Greece, Brick. Maybe you should hold off on making a judgment until we actually get to Dementor. Ron would probably tell you the running and getting shot at with lasers part is not as fun."

"Yeah, I guess. So how come you didn't invite Ron to come along? Don't you always go on missions with Ron?"

"He's been busy with Tara. I can barely get a chance to talk to him anymore."

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Kim's voice took on a annoyed tone. "It's like, one minute he's hanging out with me all the time, the next minute he's acting like he's never seen a girl before! Anytime I've talked to him recently it's Tara this, Tara that. It's ridiculous!" She smacked her fist into her palm for emphasis.

Brick was surprised. He had gotten the impression at Bueno Nacho that Kim was being a little sidelined by the attention that Ron was giving to Tara, but he seemed to have tipped off an outburst.

"Whatever happened with you and Josh Mankey, anyway?"

"Oh, we went out on a few dates, but it didn't really go anywhere. Not much in common."

"Hmm. So you're single, and all the time that Ron is spending with Tara is really bothering you."

"Uh huh..."

Brick grinned sneakily. "I think somebody's jelling on their friend!"

"What? You're crazy, Brick. What the heck does 'jelling' mean anyways?"

"Being jealous. Monique says it sometimes. As in, Kim is jelling on Tara because she totally wants to make out with Ron instead!"

"Whatever. Subject change." It was Kim's turn to give an evil grin. "What about _you_, Brick? How's it going with your girlfriend? Been making out?" she teased.

Brick nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, she's great at it!"

Kim frowned. Apparently it was much harder to find a way to embarrass Brick.

"Man, the other day she was showing me this robot she's building in her garage, and we ended up making out on top of her parent's car, she was like a wild animal, and then -"

The Kimmunicator's beeping rang out from Kim's cargo pants, interrupting Brick's thought process. Kim turned it on in relief. Her plan to embarrass Brick had backfired horribly.

"Wade! Great to see you Wade. Sitch me!"

"You're at the boat. It's the dock on your right, second boat from the end."

"Thanks."

Kim looked out at a small plastic dock that extended into the harbor. The sun was just beginning to rise, and in the dim light of dawn she could make out a sleek speedboat bobbing in the waves amongst a handful of others. She cracked her knuckles.

"Ready to rumble, Brick?"

Brick was looking at another group of girls passing by. "Say what?"

XX

Bonnie stalked the halls of Middle High School like a tanned tiger looking for a stray antelope.

A few of her fellow cheerleaders followed her as an entourage, but she felt alone. Tara normally met her in the morning when Bonnie first got to school, but today her blonde friend was not there. She was probably off with that dork Ron Stoppable somewhere, making out. Bonnie shuddered at the thought. Tara must have seriously busted a gasket in her brain.

Tara was normally Bonnie's go-to girl for complaining, and Bonnie had been positively brimming with complaints about Brick and Justine, but she found herself without anyone to talk to. The other cheerleaders in her entourage were poor listeners compared to Tara, and the extent of their helpfulness tended to amount to sickly sweet questions about how Bonnie was doing, or if she had seen Brick kissing that horrible nerdy girl outside gym class the other day.

Bonnie had planned on taking action when she saw that it was obvious Brick and Justine were interested in each other during their volcano demonstration in science class. Unfortunately, since spontaneous lip-locking had not worked on Brick, she wasn't quite sure what to do. Perhaps she could try being friends with Brick first, to get her foot in the door. The idea seemed strange – boyfriends were not friends, after all – but it was worth a try.

Unfortunately, every opportunity to talk to Brick had been stymied by Justine. The two of them spent all their time together, and they seemed to be inseparable in the hallways. Bonnie could swear that Justine was doing it deliberately. _Oh, the things I could do to that girl_, Bonnie told herself as she ground her teeth. She turned a corner. Speak of the devil...

"Well, well. Look who it is."

Bonnie eyed Justine as she walked closer from across the hall. Other students, including Bonnie's cheerleader entourage, instinctively drew away from the two girls to the sides of the hallway. Bonnie's hands flexed; she felt a strange urge to hover one hand over a leather holster and spit something on the floor, but she was not chewing gum at the moment, and her capri pants lacked a sidearm.

"Hello, Bonnie."

"Hi Justine. I see you're not with Brick. He dumped you already?" Bonnie's face twisted into mock sympathy.

"No, he's on a mission with Kim Possible."

"What? He dumped you for Kim?" Bonnie felt a flash of terror; on the one hand, it served Justine right, but on the other hand, she didn't know if she could deal with Kim going out with Brick.

"Um, no, he just wanted to see what a mission was like. He called me while they were on the plane. He has me on speed dial, you know."

Bonnie's eyes narrowed. Speed dial? She did _not_ just go there.

"Since when has Brick been interested in freak fighting with Kim and her beta dork?"

"Maybe since he got off of your leash, Bonnie. You just haven't given him a chance! You probably force him to play sports all the time and call him an idiot instead of encouraging him, so he'll fit into your ridiculous food chain."

Bonnie laughed. Justine apparently had a selective memory; Bonnie could remember a certain conversation in the computer lab between Justine and Ron Reager that had not painted Justine in a very flattering light. But, she thought, it wasn't time to play that card yet.

"That's rich, Justine. You talking about the food chain as if you don't have one of your own. You think you're better than me, just because you've won a few awards in physics? I've seen the way you act in class, and I even read a couple of articles about you, Justine. That's right, I read. You're just as worried about how people see you as I am. You're just not as willing to admit it."

Justine felt Bonnie's words sting her. She would never admit it to Bonnie, but she couldn't help but admit it to herself; Bonnie had a point. Still, Justine felt anger boiling inside. She couldn't let Bonnie win. She wasn't going to stand there and let Bonnie walk all over her, the way she did with Brick.

"I can't be _that_ much like you, Bonnie. After all, Brick dumped you and chose me."

"He's with you because he's insecure and because he's got issues with his dad. He has nothing in common with you, he's just hoping some of your brains will rub off on him. Once he realizes who you really are, he's going to dump you, just like that."

Bonnie was about to snap her fingers when the slap hit her. She had not seen it coming at all – the comment must have hit a nerve in Justine. Bonnie staggered back in surprise as a gasp rose up from the students who had been silently watching their argument. Bonnie felt the side of her face reflexively.

"Unbelievable!"

Bonnie returned the slap. Several students stepped forward to try to intervene, but Justine and Bonnie were at each other's throats – figuratively speaking – before anyone knew what had happened. Justine ended up tripping over and crashing to the ground, dragging Bonnie with her as they rolled around wildly. Bonnie had the upper hand as an athlete, but she was shocked to find that Justine was freakishly strong. And she was vicious; she went right for the hair.

Bonnie screeched as Justine grabbed a handful of her brown locks, when suddenly a shadow fell over the two of them. She looked up into the face of Steve Barkin.

"LADIES!"

Bonnie and Justine righted themselves and sat on the floor, breathing heavily. Bonnie attempted to straighten her frazzled hair.

"Hey Mr. B."

"There will be no more fighting in the hallway. Oh, and I'm sure the two of you know where I'll be expecting you this afternoon."

"But Mr. Barkin, cheerleaders don't get -"

The teacher coughed. "Ask your friend Kim Possible if you're confused, Miss Rockwaller. I believe you will find that they certainly do. I'll see you both in detention." He turned to the gaggling crowd of students around them. "Everyone CLEAR OUT!"

The students dispersed. Bonnie got up and dusted herself off as Mr. Barkin walked away at a brisk pace. Detention before she had even gotten to her first class; this was not a good start to the morning.

"He really comes out of nowhere," Justine remarked.

Bonnie nodded. "True."

XX

Kim's hair billowed behind her as the speedboat bounced and plowed through small waves. The town receded into the distance behind her as their boat sped through the open ocean. She watched with mild disgust as Brick Flagg, shirtless, attempted to apply sunscreen to his body. He was having trouble; sunscreen spurted out wildly as he involuntarily squeezed the bottle when a larger wave sent the boat lurching into the air for a moment.

"Hey Brick, maybe you should wait until we slow down a bit!"

"What?" Brick strained his ears against the roaring motor and crashing water.

"I said, wait until we slow down!"

Another bounce sent the sunscreen flying out of Brick's hands and into the water. Fortunately, he had enough excess globs on his body to protect himself. Brick evened the sunscreen out, sat back, and flexed his arms behind his head, trying to look as casual as one could look on a boat careening over the ocean with no seat belts.

Kim began to power the boat down as a small island drew closer to them.

"Alright Wade, update me," she said to the Kimmunicator.

"Hey Kim. You're going to want to go around the island slowly. Dementor's boat is on the other side, and it looks like there's another boat there as well. I'm not exactly sure what they're doing, but it looks like it could be hairy. You might get the drop on them if you're lucky."

"Gotcha. Wish us luck!"

Brick leaned back as the boat idled in the water, enjoying the weather. The sun was shining from a clear blue sky, but it was still early enough in the morning for a pleasant temperature. Kim noticed that he was already sweating. She did not particularly like it when he glistened.

"Sorry I didn't bring more sunscreen," he said.

"No big, Brick. We're on a mission anyways, remember?"

"Sure, but you're gonna regret not having any on later!"

Kim rolled her eyes as she powered the boat slowly along the shoreline. In a few minutes they would be coming up on the boats Wade had mentioned.

Brick rooted around in an on-board storage locker, wondering what was in their speedboat, when he found a collection of snack packages and drinks. "Whoa, check it! Wade must have put some food on board for us." He opened a package of chips and a soda. It was warm, but he didn't mind.

"Unless that's stale food left by whoever had this boat last," remarked Kim. Brick was putting down the stuff like it was the last food he would ever eat, so Kim assumed they couldn't be too stale.

"So," she asked, "how come you're interested in going on missions all of a sudden? Trying to expand your horizons or something?"

Brick answered through a mouthful of chips. "Yepth, pretty muth." He swallowed. "I guess now that I'm dating Justine, I'm wondering if I should really just be playing football all the time."

Kim considered his comment. "Well, it's just a matter of what you enjoy. You can do whatever you want, Brick."

"Tell that to Bonnie."

"I'll pass," laughed Kim. "By the way, you _did_ tell your dad you were flying halfway across the world, right?"

"Yeah, I sent him a text message earlier, after I called Justine. I doubt he'd notice either way, though."

Kim wondered if a text message was a great way to tell one's parents that one was going to Greece and missing a day of school – she thought she could probably pull it off with her own parents, but only because they had long since grown used to Kim's adventures.

"Why wouldn't he notice you were gone?"

Brick sighed. "He's kind of been in his own little world lately. He lost his job a little while ago, and he's putting off finding a new one. He gets like that when things are down sometimes."

"Sorry."

Kim was not sure what else to say, but the subject of conversation was dropped as they drew closer to a clash of noise and shouts coming from around a curve in the shoreline. Their view was still obstructed, but it sounded as if some kind of fight was going on. Kim assumed Dementor's boat was not far ahead.

"Alright Brick, we're going to scope out what's going on when we see the boat, and then I'm going to end up using my grappling gun to get up on the deck. You can hold on to me when we go up. Once we're on the boat, I'll take care of any of Dementor's goons, and you basically just run around and distract people."

"I _am_ a quarterback, Kim." Brick flexed his biceps as if to accentuate this point. "Maybe I can sack a few people?"

"Um, sure." Kim was not against the idea, but she didn't want Brick to get too overconfident either. "Just don't sack them if they are aiming anything at you that looks really dangerous, okay?"

"Gotcha!"

The speedboat passed a rocky outcropping jutting out into the ocean, and Kim found herself in full view of two expensive looking luxury yachts. One of the yachts seemed nearly empty, and was connected to the other by a boarding bridge of some kind. A battle was taking place on the deck of the second yacht. Various figures grappled with each other and shouted, and Kim noticed a jet of green flame rocket into the blue sky from one of the boat's deck windows. She noticed the name painted on the side of the yacht: _Commodore Puddles_.

"Weird... that one must belong to Drakken."

Kim shrugged as she guided their craft closer to Drakken's larger boat. "Time to find out what's going on." She drew her grappling gun from her mission outfit.

"Brick, grab onto me. Here we go!"


	8. Back to School

**Back to School**

XX

Brick dutifully clasped his arms around Kim. She shuddered involuntarily at the feeling of his greasy, sunblock coated body. The things she did for justice. She aimed her grappling gun at what looked like broadcasting equipment on the top of the yacht and fired, zipping the pair up and over the deck railing. Kim landed neatly on her feet and kicked a nearby henchman backwards before he knew what had happened. Brick landed next to her, not so neatly, bowling over another henchman as he sprawled out on the deck.

Kim noticed two different groups of henchmen that seemed to be fighting each other; one group seemed brawnier and more coordinated, and the other group, while more scattered, were wielding electrosticks with tips that flared out blue energy. She recognized them as Drakken's forces. They appeared to be losing.

Two henchmen stopped fighting each other long enough to notice the her arrival.

"Hey, Kim Possible!" one of them said.

"That's right. What's going on here?"

Drakken's goon pointed at the other henchman like an indignant child. "They started it!"

Dementor's henchman scoffed. "We're just here to take back what you stole from our boss! Although I don't know if we're supposed to fight Kim Possible, Dementor didn't say anything about her being here."

Drakken's henchman scratched his head. "Yeah, I dunno, Drakken didn't say anything either. Hey Bob, what's the protocol for unexpected third party forces arriving at the scene of a fight?"

Another henchman, apparently Bob, paused in mid-combat farther along the deck. "Wait until you get orders from Drakken, unless it's Kim Possible, in which case attack with great preju-" Bob's sentence was cut off by a beefy fist that smashed into his face.

Dementor's henchman shrugged. "I guess the boss would be pissed at us too if we let Kim Possible mess everything up."

"Works for me," said Drakken's henchman. "Hey wait, where did she go?"

His question was answered by a powerful kick to his back, which sent him sprawling to the ground. Dementor's henchman turned just in time to take a cartwheel kick in the chest that sent him flying off the side of the deck and into the water.

Kim looked around the deck and noticed Brick running around in circles, distracting henchmen left and right. The quarterback caught sight of one henchman who was lacking an electrostick and hit him with a full-body slam. Kim flinched; perhaps Brick could be a decent sidekick after all.

"Hey Brick!" she yelled.

"Yeah?"

"I think it's just goons out here on the deck. I'm going inside to find Dementor or Drakken and see what's going on. Follow me, okay?"

Brick gave her a thumbs up and followed behind her as she entered the cabin. There were only a few henchman fighting inside the yacht as Kim checked various rooms – a couple of them even seemed to be watching a big screen TV instead of participating in the battle. Kim arrived at a metal stairway leading up to the roof of the yacht and heard several familiar voices coming from up above.

"This way, Brick."

She walked up the stairs onto the boat's open sunroof to find Dementor facing off against Drakken and Shego. Drakken's arms were folded indignantly, but he stood a few feet behind Shego. Dementor looked angry, but not angry enough to start a fight with Shego.

"I must insist that you RETURN IT TO ME NOW!"

"I told you we don't have it!" sputtered Drakken.

Kim performed an energetic flip and landed in between the villains with her arms up in a fighting posture. "Looks like it's time for me to sink your evil plot, Drak... er, Dementor. Both of your evil plots!!"

"Kim Possible!?" Drakken and Dementor shouted simultaneously.

"There is no plot, Princess. Hey, check out the sidekick!" said Shego, giving Brick an approving stare.

Drakken noticed Brick as well. "Wow, the buffoon has really beefed up."

"That's not Ron," said Kim. "Come on, seriously? You can't tell?"

"Oh. Oh, yes, I suppose it's not him."

"So who is he, Kimmie?" Shego sidled up to Kim's sidekick, who took a nervous step back. "Decided to upgrade from geeky to beefy?"

"Ron is taking a little break. This is a classmate of mine, Brick."

"Brick, huh?" Shego purred. "Hey Brick, do you happen to be any good at massages?"

Drakken tapped his foot impatiently. "Nnnngh. Shego, professional mode please!"

"Oh, fine."

Dementor stepped forward and threw his hands into the air in exasperation. "Excuse me, but can we PLEASE return to the topic of zat which was stolen from my lair?"

"Explain," said Kim.

"Drakken has once again chosen to break into my lair und steal MY invention, the transportulator." Dementor glared at his blue-skinned foe. "I could have sworn zat he would have sent you to do it, Kim Possible. Perhaps you did do it! Are you here to apologize?"

"What? I didn't steal it. I thought Global Justice confiscated that thing, anyways."

"_Nein_! They returned it, because it is my property."

Kim slapped herself on the forehead. Global Justice could be a pain sometimes. "How do you know Drakken stole it anyways? Did you see him do it?"

"No, not exactly, but zat is besides the point which I am making!"

"You're not making any point, Dementor," said Shego. She sat down in a deck chair and picked up a piña colada, realizing that the argument would not be ending anytime soon.

"Drakken, did you steal his transportulator?" asked Kim.

"Of course not! Shego and I have been on vacation for the last few days. I wanted to treat my employees to an all-expenses paid Greek vacation, to thank them for all their hard work."

Kim looked skeptical. "For real? You, giving your employees a free vacation?"

"I know," laughed Shego. "Exactly what I said! But you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, am I right?"

"You probably threatened him into doing it, Shego."

Kim's green-skinned foe shrugged innocently.

Kim turned to Drakken. "Can you prove you've been on vacation for the last few days?"

"I certainly can."

Drakken whipped a digital camera out of his pocket as Kim and Dementor gathered around him. He began to flip through a series of pictures, most of which seemed to be showing Drakken and his green-clad sidekick at a variety of beaches and nightclubs. Kim was a little disturbed at the fact that Drakken actually knew how to dance. Even Shego was interested enough to get up and look at the pictures.

"See, all dated," said Drakken. "These begin on the first day of the trip."

The pictures seemed to portray Drakken and Shego in an increasingly drunken state. Henchmen sometimes popped in the photos as well, but most of them seemed to be centered on Shego.

"I notice most of these are Shego pictures, Drakken," said Kim with a smile.

"Yes, well, she's very demanding when she's had a drink or two. Always needs the attention."

"Watch it, Doctor D."

Everyone on the sunroof gasped in surprise at the next picture. Kim stared; it was indeed what she thought it was. She looked around to get Ron's attention so he could look at the picture, but realized Ron wasn't there. Neither was Brick. Apparently he had wandered off into the ship at some point.

Kim took another look at the photo. "Oh. My. God."

"Who took this?" said Drakken. "Bob must have taken this."

"It's not what you think it is, Kim," said Shego. "Me and Drakken had a few too many drinks, that's all!"

Kim laughed. "I guess you _made out_ pretty well on this vacation, huh Shego?"

Shego's hands lit up in green flame, but she was interrupted by another gasp from the other members of the group as the next photo on the camera popped into the viewing screen

Dementor nodded. "Is that not what ze American tourists do when they are given necklaces at, how do you say, the Mardi Gras celebration?"

Shego grabbed the camera and stuffed it into her jumpsuit. "Okay, picture playtime is over! I'm feeling about ready to kick some teen butt now. And after that, Drakken, you're next!"

"I swear I didn't take that one, Shego! I don't even remember that!"

Kim did a backflip to put some room between herself and her foe, while Shego grinned in anticipation of their battle. Just as Shego was about to leap at Kim, a brawny figure stepped in between them.

"Hey guys," said Brick. "I think Drakken is telling the truth, I was looking around the ship and I saw all kinds of vacation stuff laying around. I asked some of the henchmen too, they all said it was true."

Drakken nodded. "Thank you, sidekick who I do not know."

Kim smiled. She was impressed; not only did Brick actually hold his own against some of the henchmen on the deck, but he had taken the initiative and did a little research on his own. "Nice job, Brick!" she said. Her sidekick smiled at the praise.

"By the way, there was this red button in the captain's cabin downstairs, and I accidentally pressed it and these numbers started counting down. What was that?" Brick asked Drakken.

The blue villain stared at Brick incredulously. "What?"

"The red button, I-"

"You pressed the self-destruct button? Why would you do that?"

"Why would YOU do zat!" Dementor interrupted. "A self-destruction button on your vacation yacht? Und I thought my henchmen were stupid!"

"Uh, guys," said Shego, "I'm thinking we should jump."

"EVERYONE OFF ZE BOAT, NOW!" shouted Dementor in a voice that shattered several cabin windows.

Kim grabbed Brick by the hand and leaped off the boat's roof as a rain of henchmen leaped from the deck and various cabin windows below them. The two teens broke the surface of the ocean and shot deep into the clear blue water as the shouts above them morphed into dull echoes. Brick was about to swim back up to the surface, but Kim shook her head, leading him by the hand farther away from the boat.

As they swam beneath the waves, a much louder booming sound seemed to reverberate through the water around them. The ocean was tinged with a flash of orange. Kim glanced up at the surface to see the distorted image of a small mushroom cloud rising from Drakken's yacht. A rain of debris sent smaller echoes through the water as pieces of yacht splashed down from the sky and sank towards them.

Brick watched in awe as, a few dozen yards away from them, the dark underside of the yacht's hull began to sink lower. He followed Kim to the surface for a breath as the rain of debris died down.

"Yikes," gasped Brick. "Did I do that?"

"Yes, you did."

"Er, sorry."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Ron does that a lot too."

The two teens began to tread water towards their nearby speedboat, which had managed to avoid the brunt of the yacht's explosion. The undertow caused by the sinking ship was not bad, since it was close enough to shore that it hit the bottom almost immediately after sinking beneath the surface.

Kim reached up to grab the onto the side of the speedboat when a familiar green face popped up.

"Oh, hi there Kimmie," said Shego as she wrung water out of her hair. Drakken appeared beside her; they had apparently gotten onto the speedboat from the other side. "We're going to have to borrow your ride."

Kim made an exasperated sound. "Didn't you guys have any lifeboats?"

Drakken snorted. "Lifeboats are for those who are anticipating failure, Kim Possible."

"Well, didn't you just fa-"

"Shut it!"

Drakken shifted the boat into high gear and sped off, leaving Kim and Brick sputtering in its wake. Kim glowered at her laughing foes as they receded into the distance. At least her Kimmunicator was waterproof. She glanced over at Brick, who seemed a bit spooked after narrowly avoiding being shot into the stratosphere with the rest of Drakken's yacht.

"Told you things could get rough on missions, Brick. You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Excuse me, teens!"

Kim looked up to see Dementor's yacht moving beside them. It must have been much stronger than Drakken's yacht; despite being anchored almost adjacent to the _Commodore Puddles_ when it exploded, Dementor's yacht seemed relatively undamaged. The stocky villain himself leaned over the side and threw a life preserver into the waves.

"I will give ze two of you a ride if you come to my lair and find out who stole my transportulator!"

XX

"_Father_!"

Señor Senior Junior lowered his binoculars and squeaked at his father.

"Yes, my son?"

"Did you see that explosion in the distance?"

"No my son, I did not."

Junior scratched his head. His father was not even looking. Junior watched in awe as a mushroom cloud rose up and eventually dissipated in the bright morning sky. He peered through the binoculars at a remaining boat floating in the distance. Two figures were being pulled up the side of the boat.

"Is that not Kim Possible and her sidekick?"

He offered the binoculars to his father, but Señor Senior Senior waved him away, absorbed in a magazine. Señor Senior Senior was taking a break from his evil plans and soaking in the sun; he did not have time to be distracted by inanities. Junior looked again as he lounged in a deck chair on their sailboat. It certainly did look like Kim Possible, climbing onto the yacht in the distance. Ron Stoppable was with her as well.

"Kim Possible's sidekick has certainly been working out. He is almost unrecognizable! Still a poor choice of hairstyle, I must say."

"Please, Junior, can you not see that I am trying to read my new _Lair and Garden_ issue?"

Junior huffed and put down the binoculars, flipping the lenses of his sunglasses shut.

"Fine, father."

XX

Brick looked up at the vaulted ceiling of Dementor's lair as he followed Kim and the diminutive villain through the entrance. Dementor's henchmen came in behind the trio and scattered in various directions before they could be given any busywork. Something about the lair made Brick wonder if Dementor was overcompensating for what he lacked in stature. Most of the rooms they passed through seemed larger than life, surrounded by second-floor balconies and decorated in marble and stone.

Dementor led the teens into a larger room, in which Ionic columns towered around a central pedestal. The columns seemed to be placed almost randomly, but the center of the room was clear, save for the empty pedestal. Like in the other rooms, walkways and railings overlooked the room's floor from above. Dementor pointed to the pedestal.

"There. That is where the transportulator was displayed, as I am sure you remember, Kim Possible." He glared at his teen foe.

"Why did you have it displayed in the open if you didn't want it stolen?" asked Brick.

Dementor slapped a hand to his face. "Who is zis new sidekick that you have now, Kim Possible? He does NOT understand the way things are done!"

"He's new, give him a break."

Brick leaned against the pedestal and whistled as Kim inspected it. He noticed that she was walking a bit gingerly, and her neck had a bright red glow to it. Looks like she needed that sunscreen after all, he thought. She didn't seem to find anything of interest, and began to look around the rest of the room.

"So, nice helmet," Brick said to Dementor, who was standing awkardly nearby.

"Danke."

Brick looked around the empty room. Dementor's henchmen seemed to be hiding somewhere; the yacht battle must have worn them out. Brick wondered how one applied for a job as a henchman, and what kind of job skills a villain looked for in his subordinates.

"So, what made you get into the evil business?"

Dementor's face lit up. "It is funny zat you should ask, sidekick! When I was a teenager, working on mine uncle's farm, ze other workers would always laugh at me because I could not reach the pedals of the tractors, und because I had trouble lifting hay bales with mine small frame. This made me very, VERY ANGRY, I TELL YOU!

"However, I soon realized that I could train the animals to attack mine enemies, and with this knowledge I forced the other workers to do my work for me! Soon, mine uncle gave me control of ze farm. It was just a matter of time before I then decided to move on to bigger things..."

Brick nodded enthusiastically at Dementor's monologue. He found it fascinating to hear what caused someone like Dementor to choose his path in life. The way Dementor told it, it sounded like he had struggled against all odds to take what was rightfully his. Dementor's father had expected him to be a farm hand, but Dementor had other ideas. Brick had to remind himself that Dementor was evil, but still, perhaps there was something to admire in the little dude.

"Okay, sorry Dementor, but I can't figure it out," announced Kim as she returned from her search of the room. "I couldn't find any traces of forced entry, and I'm guessing that it's pretty easy to get out again when you're stealing the transportulator. All you'd have to do is call home."

Dementor nodded. "See, I told you, zey left no trace, like ninjas!"

"It'd really help if you had security cameras in here."

"Security cameras? The atmosphere of mine lair would be completely ruined. I am trying to achieve a classical look."

"I noticed," said Brick. "It's pretty sweet."

"Danke again. I must say, you are a vast improvement over the other one, what was his name... Stoppable?" Dementor's opinion of Brick seemed to have changed in the space of minutes.

Kim coughed. "Um, yeah, anyways. Brick and I have to get back home, we're missing school."

"Fine."

Dementor looked around his lair, noticing the absence of henchmen. He sighed – the only thing on his schedule that afternoon, now that he had failed to find the transportulator, was to call his mother. And he was in no special hurry to get to that item on his to-do list.

"You know, if you wanted to hang out for a while, we could watch some television or something. You teens love zat kind of thing, right? I have cable, with TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY SIX CHANNELS!"

Kim wasn't sure why he had to say it so angrily. Sometimes it was hard to differentiate between Dementor's excitement and his anger. She backed away nervously.

"No, I think we'll just be going. Come on, Brick."

Brick shrugged and followed Kim out of the room, waving to Dementor as he left.

"Nice to meet you, evil dude!"

Kim felt a little disappointed as she left the lair; the transportulator was missing, and she didn't have a clue as to who had stolen it. Brick seemed to have enjoyed the mission at least, but essentially, it had been a total bust. Kim had found no revealing evidence in Dementor's lair. If Ron had come along on the mission, her simian-phobic sidekick might have smelled the telltale scent of monkey.

XX

Bonnie's head slumped against her hand as she tried to keep herself awake for the remainder of class. She was bored out of her mind, and unfortunately, the next item on her afternoon agenda was detention. She glanced up at the wall clock. So close...

_Ring!_

Students leaped out of their chairs and grabbed their backpacks in a rush for the door. Bonnie was in no hurry. One of the last students out of the door, she walked down the crowded hallway towards detention. At the end of the hallway were the front doors of the school; Bonnie noticed Brick Flagg and Kim Possible walking through them.

"Hey Brick!"

"Oh, hey Bonnie."

Bonnie smiled at Brick, while making a point of ignoring Kim. "So I heard you went on a mission, huh Brick?"

"Yeah, it was pretty awesome."

"Great. Too bad Kim kept you out so long that you missed the whole school day."

Brick laughed. "What can you do? We went to Greece, so it was a lot better than spending all day in class, that's for sure!"

It took all of Bonnie's energy to keep from screeching. _Greece_? Kim had brought her boyfriend – okay, ex-boyfriend – to Greece? Why did that stupid redhead have everything so easy?

"So what's up with you, Bonnie?"

"Oh, I'm going to detention now." She noticed Kim smirking, but refrained from commenting since she was trying to make a good impression on Brick.

"That sucks. Well, we're off to find out what homework we missed today. See you!"

Brick's comment left Bonnie nonplussed. He had certainly never worried about missing homework while while he was going out with her.

"There you are, Miss Rockwaller."

Mr. Barkin's head poked out of a classroom door. "Would you like to join the rest of us in detention now?"

"Sure. Sounds great."

Bonnie entered the classroom and moved to take a seat in the back, but Mr. Barkin stopped her and pointed to an empty seat in the front next to Justine. Bonnie assumed that he liked to keep a close eye on his students. She groaned and sat down. She and Justine were seated in the center of a crowd of detention hall's regular occupants, including Vinnie, Big Mike, and Junior. They gaped at Bonnie as she tried to ignore them.

"Man, detention's been kinda freaky lately!" observed Junior.

The clatter of shoes and lockers in the hallway died down as most of the students left the school, until only a trickle of noise entered the classroom. It was almost completely silent when the detention-goers jumped in surprise at the sound of a locker slamming shut.

"_What_?" Bonnie recognized a voice that rang out from the hall. "You went on a mission with _Brick_?"

The tanned cheerleader flipped her hair back and broke into a grin. Apparently Ron Stoppable had not been aware of the mission. Always the loyal sidekick, thought Bonnie. At least Kim would be a little uncomfortable this afternoon.

"Excuse me," said Mr. Barkin as left the room to see what was going on in the hallway.

Bonnie turned to smirk at Justine after Mr. Barkin left. "So I saw Brick come back from his mission with Kim. Looks like the two of them had some fun in the sun!"

"Good for them."

"Not jealous of Kim spending all that time with your new boyfriend?"

"Not at all, Bonnie. As a matter of fact, Brick and I are planning to go hang out at the Robot Rumble."

"Um, I don't know what that is. Some kind of nerd party?"

Justine narrowed her eyes. "It's a robot fighting contest. Brick came over to my house the other day, and after we made out," - Justine made sure to accentuate the last two words - "Brick saw the robot I am preparing to compete in the contest, and wanted to check it out. He's even going to help me build it." Justine didn't really believe the last part, but she said it anyway.

"Brick, watching robots fight? I don't believe it."

"Believe it."

Bonnie considered the new information. Brick had never mentioned anything about liking robots to her. Why in the world would he be interested in something like that in the first place? Bonnie thought it sounded like another attempt by Justine to monopolize Brick's time and keep her from winning him back. Still, she knew what they were doing together now. Perhaps it could come in handy.

Vinnie, who had been listening intently to the girls' argument, leaned in closer. "Hey, you two gonna fight or something?"

"We already did," snapped Bonnie. "That's why we're in here."

"Well, feel free to do it again. Don't let us get in the way. Tear at clothes and stuff too, just go all out!" Junior and Big Mike nodded excitedly in agreement with Vinnie.

"Not in your wildest dreams."

"Guess you don't know about my wildest dreams then, girl."

Vinnie leaned back in his desk as Bonnie and Justine both made retching sounds and rolled their eyes at each other.

"Boys."


	9. Game Off, Game On

**Game Off, Game On**

XX

Brick whistled as he strolled along the sidewalk towards Middleton High School. The weekend was over and he was returning to another week of school, but his spirits were high. He couldn't help but think about the mission with Kim last Friday. Certain parts of it were a little unsettling – being almost blown up came to mind - but Brick had been invigorated by the new experience. Saving the world wasn't something that Brick would have guessed he could contribute to, but Kim had complimented him on the mission. He did blow up Drakken's yacht, but Brick figured that wasn't as bad as it could be. After all, blowing up an evildoer's property was a good thing, wasn't it?

Brick had spent a few hours with Justine over the weekend, trying to catch up on the work he had missed while on the mission. Justine had been impatient with Brick when he did not understand the homework as quickly as she would have liked. Brick did not mind too much, since he had been able to distract her with certain intimate diversions.

Other than that, the weekend had been uneventful. The mission, while exciting, had exhausted Brick, and he was happy to have a little relaxation time. Justine had been busy with her own homework the rest of the weekend. Brick was looking forward to seeing her at school.

"Yo Brick, what's up, my man?"

Brick saw Ron waving from one of the front steps of the school entrance. He was a little early, and a number of students were hanging around outside the school, enjoying their final moments of freedom before classes began anew for the week. Tara and Kim both sat on the front steps alongside Ron, Tara clinging to his arm, and Kim pointing at something in a textbook that Ron held open in his lap.

"You working on the stuff we missed on Friday, Kim?" asked Brick.

The cheerleader looked up from the textbook with a dismissive expression. "I finished all that Friday night, Brick. Ron was out partying with Tara at the time, and slacked off rest of the weekend, so I'm helping him with _his_ homework."

"Hey now, we weren't partying! I was showing Tara the glory of _Bricks of Fury_. Not my fault if you can't appreciate that, KP."

"Eyes on the problem, Ron. What's the answer?"

"I'm going with A."

"It's not multiple choice."

Brick sympathized with Ron. Homework could be tricky, and that textbook looked like it had more numbers than words. He was about to sit down with them and wait for the bell when he saw Justine coming towards the entrance from the sidewalk.

"Hey Justine!"

His girfriend gave him a stiff wave and patted him awkwardly on the back as he embraced her. She was still caught off guard by public affection sometimes, but Brick found her mannerisms charming.

Justine took a book out of her backpack. "We have a few minutes before class, Brick. You didn't finish your homework yet from last week – do you want to work on it now?"

Brick groaned.

"Heard you got detention last week," said Ron.

Justine nodded. "I got in a fight with Bonnie."

"Who does she think she is?" said Kim in a sudden flash of anger. "Starting fights with people just because they're going out with her ex-boyfriend? She thinks everything is always about her. I could just-"

"Well, technically I smacked her first."

"Oh," said Kim. "Well, still, you know how easily she can get under your skin then. I have to thank you though, Bonnie's been downright quiet at cheer practice lately. Maybe you took my place as her arch rival."

Justine laughed nervously. She wasn't exactly a shrinking violet, but she was no Kim Possible either; smacking Bonnie had been an impulsive act, and she wasn't sure if she could deal with the cheerleader as a long term enemy. She had enough going on in her life as it was.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the opening school bell. The crowd of students gathered around the front steps surged towards the front door while Ron packed up his textbook. Kim and Tara stood up with him and walked up the steps, Brick and Justine trailing behind them. Another familiar figure ran towards the front steps from the sidewalk, breathing heavily.

"I'm here!" said Monique. "Fashionably late, that's all!"

"Hey Monique," said Brick.

Monique walked in between Brick and Justine, eyeballing the former with an approving look. "Nice outfit today." She noticed Justine's expression and patted her on the back. "Chill, girl, I'm just calling it like I see it. No need to jell."

Justine adjusted her hair band in a huff. She wasn't sure what jelling was, but she was certainly not jelling.

XX

Brick took a seat next to Justine in science class. He tried to ignore the uncomfortable stares coming from Bonnie and Eddie, sitting farther towards the back of the room. Bonnie seemed to be glaring at Justine, but Brick could tell that Eddie was making a point of giving him the evil eye. If he had to guess, Eddie was annoyed that Brick had skipped football practice over the weekend. That and the fact that he hadn't talked to Eddie much lately.

The back of the classroom had been Brick's choice seating area in the past. He found himself sitting in the front rows more often recently. It was not that Brick wanted to avoid people who sat in the back, although that might have been a contributing factor today; it was that he wanted to pay more attention. Justine had encouraged him to sit in the front row next to her, although she had insisted that it was simply in order to help him pay more attention to the teacher. Brick didn't complain.

"I see you chose to come to class today, Brick," said Mr. Barkin from the back of the room, where he was trying to get the overhead projector to work. "Is this something we can expect as a regular occurrence from now on?"

"Definitely, sir."

"Somehow I don't think that you'll be able to skip classes left and right and maintain an A average like Miss Possible over there," continued Mr. Barkin. Brick glanced over at Kim, who tried to look nonchalant about the fact that she had an A average. "That is, unless Justine's turned you into an overnight genius."

"Could be, Mr. B!"

Mr. Barkin sighed and continued to fiddle with the projector as the students went back to chatting with each other in muffled voices. Justine leaned over and whispered to her boyfriend.

"Are we still planning to eat dinner at your house, with your dad?"

"Sure."

They had arranged to have dinner on Monday during their weekend study session. Brick felt a little insecure about Justine meeting his father and hanging out at his house; she had picked him up a couple of times, but generally he went to her house. Still, his father had mentioned that Brick should invite Justine over for dinner sometime, and Justine had mentioned wanting to get out of her own house for a bit.

"What are we going to eat?"

"Burgers, I think. My dad wanted to grill outside."

"SILENCE!"

Mr. Barkin returned to the front of the classroom, apparently having fixed whatever was wrong with the projector. He pulled down the white projection screen and turned to the class, slapping his fist into his palm for emphasis. Most of the class snapped to attention.

"Rockwaller! There will be no cell phone use during the slide show!"

Bonnie held up a finger to indicate she was almost done, and pocketed the cell phone after a final flurry of text messaging. She raised her eyebrows at Barkin to indicate that she was paying attention, and that whatever he had to say must be very important to merit interrupting her messaging.

"OKAY! As you all know, Mrs. Fitzgerald is still recovering from the fungal disaster." Mr. Barkin checked the notes on his desk. "Oh. Wait, no, in fact she's just absent today. Fungus free. Either way, I am in charge now, and instead of Mrs. Fitzergerald's inane touchy-feely lessons, we will be learning-"

Mr. Barkin stopped and sniffed the air. Something was amiss.

"Uh, hey Mr. B," came Eddie's voice from the back of the classroom, "it looks like the slides are melting."

Mr. Barkin's eye twitched. "STOPPABLE!"

Ron's head jerked up from the desk where he had been dozing off, his blond hair flattened in a strange shape.

"What? It wasn't my fault this time!"

XX

Class was over, and Brick was looking forward to going home. Normally Brick would be looking for Justine, or perhaps saying hello to Kim and Ron, but he had something else to take care of today. He opened the gym doors and walked across the basketball court towards the gym office, where Mr. Barkin could often be found in the afternoons.

The gym was empty, the bleachers rolled back into the walls. A lone basketball sat on one of the court's free throw lines, as if waiting for a pair of hands to guide it into the net. Someone must have forgotten to put it in the equipment closet. Brick paused on his way to the office at the far end of the court and picked up the basketball. He bounced it a few times, took aim, and sunk a three-pointer. Easy, he thought. And Jason Morgan was always making it sound like rocket science.

Brick came to the office door and knocked loudly.

"Come in."

He entered to find Mr. Barkin at his desk, talking to his teammate Eddie.

"Ah, Brick Flagg. Did you come in to explain why you missed football practice this weekend?"

"Sorry about that, sir. I guess I was just really tired from the mission I had with Kim."

Barkin tapped his fingers on the desk. "Doesn't she have Stoppable to go on missions with her?"

"I guess Brick is trying the hero thing out a bit," offered Eddie.

Mr. Barkin ignored the comment. "So what brings you to my office, Brick? Eddie and I were talking about the big game against the Lowerton Lemurs coming up soon. He was a little worried about you not giving the team a hundred percent. As quarterback, you are the linchpin of the team, after all. We still have some time to practice, but we've got work to do. We can't let those Lemurs make fools out of us!"

"Right," said Eddie. "What _are_ Lemurs, anyway? What a ridiculous mascot."

"They're a prosimian primate native to Madagascar," said Brick. His teammate stared at him incredulously. Brick was glad that he had watched an episode of _Ape Island_ the other day. "Anyway, football is actually what I came to talk about, Mr. Barkin."

"Oh? What about it, Flagg?"

Brick considered his decision one last time before he gave Mr. Barkin his reply. It was a difficult decision, but Brick felt that he had to make it. It was for his own good. It might even make Eddie happy, since Brick always got the impression he wanted to be quarterback.

"I'm quitting the team."

XX

Mason Flagg stood on his front porch and enjoyed the late afternoon breeze, loading some charcoal into his grill. His son was in the house upstairs, picking out an outfit to wear for dinner. Mason had told him that it didn't matter what he wore, that any girl worth his son's time would like him for who he was, but Brick seemed to be dressing up a little more than usual lately. Brick's last girlfriend, Bonnie, had sometimes made him dress up, but Mason noticed that Brick always slipped back into something more casual as soon as he could get away with it.

Mason supposed it was natural. He remembered the way he acted around girls when he was Brick's age. He remembered how he acted around Samantha, when he was first getting to know her. He had wanted to impress her so badly. At least for a while.

His attention went back to the grill as a waft of heat rose up from the charcoal bricks. He needed to stop thinking about the past. Brick had asked him again about whether he was looking at the job market earlier, but Mason did not want to think about that now. He knew his son meant well, but Mason didn't want to think about the future either. He was in a good mood, it was a nice outside, and it was a good time to enjoy the present.

A car pulled up to the side of the road. A girl in a slightly old-fashioned outfit, straight blonde hair held back with a hair band, came out of the car and walked up the driveway. Although Mason had only seen her briefly on a couple of occasions, he recognized the girl immediately as Justine. She had a very distinctive appearance. Mason had to admit that his son's taste in women confounded him; Justine looked like the anti-Bonnie.

"Hey there, Justine."

"Hello Mr. Flagg."

Mason shook her hand as she stepped onto the porch. "I was just getting ready to put some burgers on the grill here. Burgers okay with you for dinner?"

"That would be nice. My parents never make them."

Mason was taken aback. "No kidding? Well, we're gonna have to show you how it's done. Brick should be inside somewhere. You guys can hang out a while, these should get done pretty quick."

XX

Mason set the cheeseburgers down on the kitchen table, where he had already spread a tablecloth – a highly unusual occurrence in the Flagg household – and set out various condiments. He snorted in exasperation as his son took one of the burger patties, set it between two buns, and ate it in little more than a few bites without even adding anything to it.

"Hey Brick, take it easy buddy. I don't think the ladies want to see a guy eat like that." His son cast a nervous look at Justine as if just realizing she was there. "I don't know how you can eat that fast and enjoy your food, anyways."

"Hey, that's nothing pop. You should see Stoppable eating at Bueno Nacho!"

"Who?"

"One of my classmates. He usually goes on the missions with Kim Possible."

"Ah, gotcha. You planning to take his place or something, what with that trip to Greece you took the other day?"

"I doubt it," laughed Brick.

Mason chewed thoughtfully on a bite of cheeseburger. There was something a little apprehensive in Brick's laughter, as if his son was thinking something else but not saying it. Mason didn't mind; his son was usually open with him, so he assumed it couldn't be anything serious.

"Well, that's good. I figure it'd be hard to balance quarterback and world-saving hero at the same time," said Mason, half-joking. Brick did not respond.

Mason watched his son's girlfriend, who had just gone to the kitchen for a moment, come back with a knife and fork and begin to cut her burger apart. "Seriously? That ain't how you eat a burger, girl!"

Justine's eyes bugged out as she paused in mid-chew. "I jutht didn't want to geth my handth dirty."

"It's not gonna kill you. We got a bathroom, you know," laughed Mason. "Anyway, I hear that you're quite the physics genius."

"Yes, that's right."

"Hm. I remember seeing you a few times in the newspaper in the past, winning awards and such."

Justine had seemed nervous before, but her demeanor shifted at Mason's comment. "Oh yes, I've won quite a few. The breakthroughs I've made in particle physics have made me kind of a household name." She noticed Mason's blank expression. "In, uh, scientific households. Eighth grade was a big year for me."

"Ah. Can't say I know much about particle physics."

Justine nodded sympathetically. "It's pretty complex stuff. Not everyone can wrap their minds around it. I suppose it takes a certain natural talent. What is it that you do again, by the way?"

"I'm in between jobs at the moment."

"What did you do when you had a job?"

"I worked in construction."

"Ah."

Justine seemed uninterested. She began to talk about her work in physics instead. Justine and Brick held up most of the conversation, and while Mason threw in a comment here and there, his mind was elsewhere.

His son looked enthralled by Justine's stories, nodding his head enthusiastically, but Mason thought that Justine came off as a bit condescending. Something about her tone put him off, although he had to admit that she had the achievements to back up her attitude. Justine was one of those people who placed a high priority on achievement; Mason had known people like that before.

People like Samantha, Mason thought. He had been lucky to be with her, or at least he thought so at the beginning of their relationship. Samantha reached for the stars, and Mason had admired that at first, even if he couldn't reach as high. He watched his son's girlfriend, eating her meal methodically and deliberately, and realized that she reminded him of Samantha.

"Any more?"

Mason was drawn from his thoughts by his son's question. The plate of burgers was empty. Brick had eaten several of them.

"Nope, you ate them all," said Mason. "I hope you didn't want more than one, Justine?"

"Oh no, one was fine."

Mason got up and began to clear the table, his son rising to help out. Justine sat quietly and watched them.

"Hey pop, I think we're gonna hang out in my room for a while."

"That's fine. Just don't keep Justine here all night if she has a curfew."

Mason finished rinsing the plates and putting them into the dishwasher. His son went up the stairs with Justine following behind. Mason couldn't be sure, but it looked like she was taking a long, shameless look at Brick's rear end as his son climbed the steps. He chuckled; Justine reminded him of Samantha in more ways than one.

XX

"Get him!"

Justine shook her fist at the robots fighting on the television screen. She lay in bed next to Brick, his thick shoulder serving as her pillow, as they watched television together. Brick's television was a little old and the picture was grainy, but Justine didn't mind. The window was open, letting in a nice breeze as the evening temperature dropped, and she was comfortable just laying in bed. They had been flipping channels for a while and caught a repeat of _Murderbots_ near the end of the episode. Justine had seen it before, but she still enjoyed it.

"Dinner was nice," she said as a commercial started.

"Yeah. I bet my dad thought you were pretty cool."

"Are you sure he doesn't mind us hanging out up here?" Justine looked around as if making sure no one in the room was listening to them. "What if he thinks we're, you know... _making love_?"

Brick grinned. "He won't. The walls in this house are like paper. We couldn't do that without getting caught."

"That's too bad. Because I was planning to do that tonight."

"What?" Brick was caught off guard by the comment.

"I'm just kidding. I was making a joke."

Justine's expression looked so serious that Brick had to laugh. Justine began to smile, pleased that her boyfriend found her amusing. She lifted her head from Brick's shoulder and sat up straighter on the bed.

"You know, dating you has been kind of strange."

Brick scratched his head. "Uh, thanks?"

"What I mean is that it's been kind of new for me. I've never really had the time to date guys before. And I'm meeting a lot of new people thanks to you, like Ron and Monique. Kim as well – she was my partner on that science project, but I didn't actually hang out with her."

"That's cool. I don't really know them well either, actually. I've been hanging with them a bit recently, but usually I'm in the athlete crowd. Eddie and Steve and everybody. I guess I just wanted to meet some new people and try new things." Brick thought about that afternoon at school. "You know, I actually quit the football team earlier."

"What? Really?"

"Yep."

Justine clapped her hands together in excitement. "That's great! That means we have more time to work on our robot for the Robot Rumble contest! Maybe that will give you more time to focus on your homework and getting your grades better, too."

Brick groaned mockingly. "Do I have to?"

"Don't you want to get smarter, Brick? I think you could do a lot better in school now that you're not playing around with football. I'll help you with things, of course."

"I know, I was just kidding." Brick watched the television as one robot smashed another with a sledgehammer arm. The announcer yelled hoarsely into a microphone for a few moments, and the show ended abruptly. "You're taking me to that contest tomorrow so I can see what it's like, right?"

"Definitely."

Brick was looking forward to seeing the Robot Rumble for the first time. He wondered if Justine's friends would be there, or if she just went there to watch the fights. "So why were you talking about getting to know new people and all that? Don't you have nerdy buddies and stuff?" Brick did not recognize the potential offensiveness of the comment, but fortunately, neither did Justine.

"I don't know," she said. "I guess I admire how outgoing you are, and how you can talk to different people so easily. I wish I was better at that. I know some people, but sometimes I feel like I'm just competing with them all the time."

Justine thought about her social life. Other than the occasional contest and school-related event, she really did not get out much. "I'm kind of surprised you like me. I would have assumed you'd think I'm boring or something."

Brick shook his head. "I don't get half of the stuff you say, but I don't think you're boring. Besides, I like how you take me seriously. Like, you make me feel like I could do whatever I wanted. Even physics and stuff, if I wanted to."

Justine wondered if Brick was right or not. She hadn't thought much of Brick's intelligence when she had first met him, but perhaps she was jumping to conclusions. Brick did seem to be trying to shift his priorities, at least. If anyone had told Justine a few months ago that she would be dating the Middleton High quarterback, she would have laughed at them, but her life seemed to be taking some unusual turns lately. Then again, she reminded herself, he was the ex-quarterback now.

A new show started as a musclebound man in a brown leotard ran towards Brick and Justine from the television screen. A small animal dressed in an equally ridiculous suit ran beside him.

"I haven't seen this before," said Justine as she settled back down and curled up against Brick's side.

"It's a pretty corny show."

Brick did think _Fearless Ferret_ was a bit corny, but he was secretly fond of it. Bonnie could never tolerate the show, although his father watched it with him from time to time. After eating a few tasty cheeseburgers, with Justine laying by his side, Brick couldn't think of anything more entertaining.

XX

Streetlights cast a pale yellow glow on brown hair. Bonnie Rockwaller walked down an unfamiliar Middleton street with a spring in her step. There were no shops that she enjoyed on this particular street, but she was not out shopping. She was not out to see any friends, either. She didn't want to be walking down this street at all, but she had no choice.

Brick was slipping away from her by the day. They had a long history together, but Brick was having some kind of ridiculous teen crisis, going on missions with Kim Possible and hanging out with dorks all day. She had underestimated Justine; that girl could bend jocks to her will almost like she was a cheerleader. A disturbing thought popped into Bonnie's brain; maybe Justine _was_ a cheerleader. Some kind of nerd cheerleader. Did such things exist? Maybe she cheered while nerdy guys put chemicals into beakers. Bonnie thought it seemed reasonable.

Whatever Justine's secret was, Bonnie knew that the girl had Brick in her grasp, leaving Bonnie no time to even attempt a friendship with her ex-boyfriend and get him back under her influence. She could barely say hello to Brick at school, and he when he wasn't freak fighting, he was hanging out with Justine after school. However, Bonnie did have one useful piece of information that she had gotten from Justine when they spent detention together. There was one way that she could spend more time with Brick, and perhaps even impress him to boot.

Bonnie arrived at the front of a store. It was late, but the store was still open; the windows threw an inviting light over the sidewalk, beckoning passersby to look at racks of magazines and merchandise inside. Bonnie looked up at the store's unimaginative sign, illuminated by a nearby streetlight, and shuddered. She opened the door. She walked inside nervously. This was enemy territory.

A group of teens were gathered around a table at the far end of the store. Other than one girl, all of them were guys. Bonnie recognized one of them as Ned from Bueno Nacho. They had been playing some kind of game, but they looked up in surprise at the stunning brunette standing at the doorway with her hands on her hips. It was clearly an unfamiliar sight to them.

"Alright," said Bonnie sharply. "Which one of you dorks is going to help me build a killer robot to compete in the Robot Rumble?"

Ned gulped nervously, but no one moved from the table. After a moment, one of the players stood up and walked to the center of the room, striking a strange pose. Bonnie's best guess was that he was imitating a knight. The pudgy teen looked vaguely familiar. Bonnie wondered if she had seen him with Kim before. It was possible; Possible _did_ hang out with some weird characters. He adjusted his glasses and spoke.

"I'll help you, fair lady!"

Bonnie groaned. "And, uh, what's _your_ name?"

"Larry."


	10. Checking out the Competition

**Checking out the Competition**

XX

Monkey Fist paced excitedly in his library. The Transportulator lay on an oak table in front of him. Amy sat in a padded armchair across the room, knitting some kind of itchy looking quilt or tea cozy. Monkey Fist couldn't be sure. He wasn't really familiar with what kinds of things one would knit.

"I think it's time to take action, Amy."

Amy looked up distractedly from her knitting. "Sorry, sweetie-pie?"

"We've given her a few days, and Kim Possible has not arrived with that insufferable sidekick of hers. They would have been here by now if they knew we stole the Transportulator. That means we're free to move on to the next phase of the plan!"

"Oh, goody!" Amy clapped her hands in excitement, narrowly avoiding impaling her palms with her knitting needles. "Does that mean we get to rescue my Cuddlesaurus?"

"Indeed."

Monkey Fist stopped in front of the ornate table and caressed the Transportulator with his half-hand, half-paw. His forté was usually magical spells and artifacts, but perhaps it was time to try something a little different. Technology was always a mystery to him compared to the arcane magic he normally worked with, but there was something nice about stealing technology from someone else. No math, no soldering and tinkering with wires and circuitry; just a neat, finished product to play with.

Playing with the Transportulator had been exactly what Monkey Fist and Amy were up to over the last few days. While they were waiting to see if Kim Possible was on their trail, they had been testing the device out. That fool Dementor had not bothered to include an instruction manual, but Monkey Fist thought the controls were easy enough.

A simple phone call would transport him to the destination of his choice when someone picked up on the other end. They had also discovered that calling the Transportulator itself could transport them to its location, provided someone was waiting to pick up the connection on the Transportulator's end of the line.

The Transportulator also seemed to transport objects along with the person it was transporting – clothing, weapons – although, much to Monkey Fist's embarrassment, it turned out that one particular button on the control panel could cancel the effect. He shuddered as he remembered how Amy had eyeballed him after he transported across the room without clothes. It was much the same way some of his monkey minions looked at bananas before eating them.

"Oh Mooontykins!"

Monkey Fist felt Amy slide her arms around him from behind.

"Yes, Amy?"

"If we're going to rescue my Cuddlesaurus, this lair is kind of an inconvenient location, don't you think?"

"Hmm," said Monkey Fist. "I hadn't thought of that."

"I suppose we'll have to relocate!"

Monkey Fist nodded cautiously. Amy's logic was sound, although something about her tone unsettled him. "Where do you think is best? A timeshare lair near Middleton, perhaps?"

"Well, it's been nice sleeping over at your lair the last few weeks," said Amy – Monkey Fist seemed to remember that she had stayed a few weeks longer than he was expecting, but he did not feel like correcting her - "but maybe our relationship is getting serious enough to take it to the next level."

"And what might that 'next level' be, pray tell?"

"Moving in with me, silly!"

Monkey Fist wriggled free from her embrace and laughed nervously, his back pressed against the table. "Oh, that's an excellent idea Amy, but I wouldn't want to impose."

"Impose? Sweetie, it would be a dream come true!"

A nightmare come true, thought Monkey Fist. He scrambled for another excuse. "I think we need someplace more professional from which to launch our plans, Amy."

The library tinkled with Amy's laughter. "Monty, I've got a lair underneath my house. It should be just fine for whatever we want to do. As a matter of fact, I recently made some expansions to it!"

"A lair? You don't say."

A free lair, with all its evil amenities. Monkey Fist had to consider the option, even if moving in with Amy seemed to be a path fraught with danger. Danger, and cuddles. Still, one had to make sacrifices for the cause of world domination and such things. It wasn't as if moving in with Amy was permanent – Monkey Fist could always leave the relationship whenever he wanted. Perhaps it was worth the risk.

"Very well, Amy. Just for the purpose of our plans, though. Let me pack some of my things, and we'll be off."

"Eeeee!"

XX

Brick tentatively moved his knight into the center of the board as Justine sat next to him and watched the game. School had just ended, and today Justine had a little time to attend chess club before she went home to start some homework.

"Gotcha."

The knight disappeared into a growing pile of Brick's pieces on the other side of the chess board, next to Tara. The blonde cheerleader grinned as she waited for Brick's next move.

"You might be better than Justine, you know." Brick was ribbing Justine playfully, but she seemed a little bothered by the comment.

Tara giggled. "You're just being nice."

"I dunno," said Kevin Guberman. "He might be right. You're a chess whiz, Tara."

"Oh, stop it."

"It doesn't hurt that you're so beautiful a guy can barely pay attention to the board."

Tara stuck her tongue out and punched Kevin lightly on the shoulder. Brick thought that the chess team captain was being obvious with his flirting, even by Brick's standards, but Tara seemed to enjoy the attention. She glanced back at the board and easily countered another one of Brick's moves. At this rate, he'd be giving up the board to let Kevin or Justine play a round against Tara in no time.

"So what are you guys up to this afternoon?" asked Kevin.

"I have to go home and work on some homework for a little while," said Justine, "but after that, I am taking Brick to the Robot Rumble."

"Oh, I've heard about that. Sounds like fun."

Tara chimed in on the conversation as her pieces began to advance on Brick's king like a pack of wolves sensing a kill. "I'm going to Bueno Nacho with Ron tonight."

"Yes, you mentioned that," said Kevin.

Brick saw one last opportunity to break out of Tara's near-impenetrable wall of pieces, and moved his remaining bishop out to try to attack. The piece was promptly taken by Tara's queen.

"Checkmate!"

Brick sighed. He enjoyed playing chess, but he was beginning to feel a little frustrated. He couldn't remember winning a single game against Tara, Kevin, or Justine so far. He remembered the first game he had played against Justine – she had told him that he was better than she had expected him to be – but perhaps his girlfriend was just being nice to him. He felt like he was the worst player in the club.

"Alright, who's playing next?" asked Tara.

Justine gently pushed Brick aside and sat down in front of the board, moving her pieces back into place. "Let's see if you're really better than me." She sized up her foe as Tara smiled and placed her own pieces back on the board.

"I'm ready when you are!"

XX

Brick walked into the kitchen after dumping his backpack on the floor next to the front door. As he opened the refrigerator and rifled through its contents, looking for a quick snack, he thought about the last chess game between Justine and Tara. The game had been close, and both Kevin and Brick had been at the edge of their seats by the time it ended. Brick hadn't even been able to follow the last few moves, but he still got an impression that the winning move was sheer genius, giving the victory to -

"You have a nice day at school, Brick?"

Brick noticed his father reading a magazine in the living room. "Yeah pop, it was pretty good. I'm gonna go out later, by the way."

"Where to?"

"Justine is taking me to some contest called the Robot Rumble. A buncha people bring robots to this pit and make them fight each other, it sounds sweet."

Brick got some peanut butter and jelly out of the refrigerator and began to make a sandwich. He would have liked to add raisins and bananas, but there didn't seem to be any. One of them needed to go shopping soon.

"Sounds interesting," said Mason as he flipped a page of his magazine. "You haven't been to football practice lately, have you?"

Brick remembered what he had been putting off telling his father. He wasn't sure why exactly he hadn't told his father about quitting the team already. He knew it was the right thing to do, but his father might have a different attitude. Brick didn't want to have his decisions second-guessed. Still, there was no avoiding it now.

"Dad," said Brick as he sat down on the couch next to his father, "I have something to tell you."

"What's that?"

"I quit the football team yesterday."

Brick took a bite out of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Mason was silent for a moment, not even looking up from his reading, but finally he looked up from the magazine and watched his son with a furrowed brow.

"Why?"

"It's kind of hard to explain. I guess lately I've been thinking about what I want. Stuff has been making me think about what I should be doing, you know? Like when I went on that mission with Kim to fight bad guys. And going out with Justine, it's just -"

"Did Justine tell you to quit the team?"

"What? No, she didn't tell me to do it. I just decided to do it, I guess."

His father put down the magazine. "Don't you like playing football?"

"Sure, but you have to stop playing around sometime, right?"

Mason looked at his son eating his sandwich and remembered yesterday night's dinner. He thought about the impression he had gotten of his son's girlfriend. The way she ate, the things she talked about. "I hope that Justine isn't trying to tell you what you should and shouldn't do, Brick. It's not her place to be telling you things like that."

"She's not, dad!"

"I'm just saying, I've seen people like her before. I don't want to see her putting you down. You're gonna feel pretty silly if you change things and she up and leaves you because-"

"Mom left a long time ago, dad."

The living room fell silent.

"You have to move on. I quit the football team because I want to do more with my life. Justine has awards, she's been published in journals, and she hasn't even graduated high school yet. What have I done?"

His father looked like he was about to respond, but Brick continued. "Maybe I don't want to be like you."

Brick, having finished his sandwich, got up from the couch. His father was silent, and after a moment he picked up his magazine and went back to reading. The conversation seemed to be over. Brick wondered if he had been too harsh. Either way, he thought as he headed upstairs to his room, his father was wrong. Justine was helping Brick see how much more he could be.

XX

Tires screeched as a silver Porsche jerked to a halt outside of a small house. The Porsche's bumper was inches away from upending a wooden mailbox beside the driveway. Bonnie Rockwaller stepped out of the car and put on a pair of black sunglasses, giving her outfit a last look to make sure it was attractive. Cleavage level... check. Hip exposure... check.

Bonnie's outfit would serve a dual purpose; Larry would be more solidly in her grasp, a malleable tool to do her bidding, and hopefully it would catch Brick's attention later that evening. Of course, with Justine as her competition, Bonnie could probably make Brick's jaw drop with an outfit made of old newspaper.

She rang the doorbell and stood on the porch, waiting for someone to answer. Before long, a rotund woman with glasses opened the door. Bonnie could see the relationship to Larry.

"Hello there!" The woman had been smiling when she had opened the door, but her expression changed when she saw who was waiting on the porch. "You must be the girl that Larry is taking to the Robot Rumble tonight?"

"That's right. Bonnie Rockwaller, nice to meet you. Is that dor – uh, your son, ready?"

The woman narrowed her eyes. "He's upstairs preparing. He should be ready in just a moment." She stepped aside to let Bonnie enter.

"Thanks lady."

"Please, call me June."

Bonnie followed June into the living room, who indicated an empty plush pink chair where Bonnie could sit and wait. June disappeared into another room as Bonnie sat down. She clawed the armrests wildly with her hands for a moment – the chair was so soft that it gave her a brief sensation that she was about to sink into it completely.

She looked around the room. The walls were decorated with a number of framed pictures, most of which seemed to be either cats or babies dressed to look like various household objects and flowers. A large glass display cabinet faced her on the opposite wall. Its shelves were filled with cutesy porcelain figures, all arranged to stare at the chair Bonnie was sitting in. She had an uneasy sensation that the figures were judging her.

"_Laaarry_! That girl is here to see you!"

Bonnie shrank back into the chair in surprise as a tray suddenly appeared from above her head. June was leaning over the chair and holding it in front of her. "Coffee cakes?"

"Um, no thanks. I ate already."

"Hello everyone," came a voice from behind the chair.

Bonnie got up to find Larry standing at the foot of the second floor stairway. He waved at Bonnie as his mother stared at the two of them with a suspicious expression. Bonnie gaped at the sight in front of her. Larry was dressed in the same horrific travesty against fashion that she had seen at the shop, but it was not his body that she was worried about. It was his head.

"You are _so_ not wearing that outside."

"What? This is part of the Robot Rumble mystique." Larry adjusted the metallic cap. Bonnie thought it looked like a metallic egg; it was bigger than Larry's actual head.

June glared at Bonnie. "My Larry will wear whatever he wants when he goes out. He's a unique boy, young lady; you could learn something from him!"

Bonnie decided it was not the time to argue. She was getting the distinct impression that June did not like her. It was time to escape the house before the woman changed her mind about letting her son out of the house.

"Alright, fine, wear your freak hat. Let's get to this robot fight."

"We're going out now, mom. I don't know when I'll be back, so you can tape all my shows tonight and I will watch them later."

"Larry," said June as she watched Bonnie with a concerned expression. "You don't have to go out if you don't want to. Is this girl making you do her homework?"

"Mother, that only happened three times. You act as if it's some kind of recurring event. We're leaving now!"

"Okay, see you later _June_!"

Bonnie placed herself between Larry and his mother and began to herd him towards the front door. June made a move towards them, almost as if she was going to grab Larry, but Bonnie hissed reflexively. June drew back in fear as Bonnie slipped out the door and closed it.

"This is going to be so exciting, Bonnie. I think you'll find that the Rumble is a far cry from the pedestrian joys of cheerleading practice that you and Kim seem to -"

"Shut it, Larry. In the car!"

Larry dutifully entered the Porsche as Bonnie pointed at the passenger side. She opened the driver's side door, catching a last glimpse of Larry 's mother peering through the window blinds of their house. Bonnie looked beside her as Larry tried to find a comfortable position, the massive helmet forcing him to sit lower in the seat.

Bonnie wasn't sure what motivated Larry to help her build a robot – okay, build a robot himself while she took the credit – and enter it into the Robot Rumble. Her stunning figure was motivation enough, it was true, but he had seemed fairly eager to ally with her. Maybe he just wanted to tell all his nerdy friends about his hot escort to the contest.

Bonnie grew uneasy. Perhaps Larry thought it was a date. Perhaps this could have unforeseen effects on the food chain. Then again, getting back together with Brick could repair much of that damage. Bonnie began to wonder who would be at the Robot Rumble – hopefully not anyone she knew. Probably just a bunch of dorks, and it wasn't like any of Bonnie's friends got any gossip from them. Then again, Larry was Kim's cousin, and who knows what Larry would tell her. But perhaps Larry could tell Bonnie things about Kim as well. Or perhaps...

"Um, could you please watch the road, Bonnie?"

Bonnie was snapped out of her reverie by the sound of her tires scraping along the curb. She moved the car back into the lane and laughed nervously. This might be trickier than she thought.

XX

"Hey, that was Bonnie with your cousin Larry!"

Kim rolled her eyes as Ron glanced back at a car that had just passed them by.

"Why would Bonnie be hanging out with my cousin, Ron?"

"I dunno." Ron thought about the question, as if reconsidering his comment. "I could have sworn I saw the two of them in that car together. Just calling it like I see it."

He shrugged and went back to holding Tara's hand. Kim was following behind the two of them as they meandered down the sidewalk, wondering when the evening would end. Ron had invited her to hang out at Bueno Nacho earlier, and she had jumped at the opportunity – lately, she hadn't been able to hang out with Ron as much as she was used to.

Upon getting to the fast food place, however, she discovered that hanging out with Ron meant hanging out with Tara. The rest of the evening had been an exercise in finding out if there was any limit to her ability to watch Ron and Tara make moon eyes at each other and speak in baby voices. Now that they had left Bueno Nacho, she was waiting for her opportunity to go home.

"What the..."

"What is it now, Ron?"

Ron scratched his head and looked back at another car that had just passed them by on the road. "I just saw Monkey Fist in a car with a bunch of his monkey minions!"

"Right."

"No, for real KP! He had all these bags on the top of the car, like he was moving somewhere."

"Maybe he's moving to Middleton," offered Tara.

"Yep, Monkey Fist is moving to Middleton," agreed Kim. "If there's one thing Monkey Fist loves, it's suburbia. Ron, I told you that second jumbo shake was a bad idea."

Ron looked downcast. "Well I dunno, I could have sworn I saw monkeys."

"You're so silly," laughed Tara. She looked back at Kim with a grin. "Don't you love it?"

Kim nodded faintly.

XX

"Here are are."

Justine punched in a key combination on a street light, which opened up a trap door in the sidewalk. A metal platform with a hand rail appeared with a _whoosh!_ out of the recesses of the sidewalk tunnel. Justine led her boyfriend onto the platform as it sunk into the ground, the sidewalk doors closing above them.

"Whoa," said Brick. "There's just some random elevator in the middle of the sidewalk? Isn't that, like, some kinda safety hazard?"

"You'd be surprised how many tunnels there are in Middleton," said Justine.

The platform made its way down to the bottom of the shaft and came to a stop. Justine stepped outside, leading Brick along, and got into a vehicle attached to a rail track that led off down another dark shaft.

"What is this place, some kind of abandoned mineshaft?"

"Or a subway. No one's really sure, but it wasn't being used, so a while ago people decided to use it as a way to have the Robot Rumble in a secluded place."

Justine took the controls of the rail car and led it down the dark tunnel towards their destination. Brick hung his head from the side of the car, enjoying the cool subterranean breeze that ruffled his blond hair, until he had to duck back into his seat to avoid hitting a rocky outcropping that zipped by. After a moment, they reached a small ledge, on which a red door was illuminated by an overhanging light.

Justine climbed out of the car and walked up to the door. A metallic sphere hanging over the door looked down and bathed her in a soft blue light emanating from its aperture.

"_Member identification_," barked a robotic voice.

"Sheela of the Leopard People."

The door slid open. "_Identification confirmed._"

Justine led her boyfriend inside a larger, vaulted room. At one end of the room a group of people were gathered around a large pit and shouting wildly. Several people turned to greet Justine as she entered the crowd.

"Hello Lindsay." Justine looked balefully at a girl sitting at the edge of the pit, her legs dangling over the side.

"Oh, hello Justine."

"Who's fighting tonight?" Justine peered into the pit, where a pair of sorry looking robots were feebly attempting to score a hit on each other. Judging by their guidance systems, Justine didn't think they would have much luck even running into each other.

"I think it's the Crushinator and the Smackutron 2000. Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is my _boy_friend, Brick Flagg." Justine patted Brick's chest and smirked. "This is his first rumble. Usually he's busy playing football and working out, but he's a man of many interests."

"Hey Lindsay, nice to meet you."

Lindsay looked up at Brick and nodded curtly before returning her attention to the battling robots. Justine watched the girl's reaction exultantly. _That's right, Lindsay_, she thought. _Where's your attitude now? Eat your heart out!_

"Hey Justine."

Justine looked up to see Ned approaching, along with Vivian and her boyfriend Oliver. At least, her technical boyfriend. Justine still found it a little strange to talk to Oliver after Vivian had revealed that he was a robot. Why Vivian would create a robot that looked like that, Justine could not even begin to guess.

"Hello Ned. How are things at Bueno Nacho?"

"Very Bueno, thank you for asking!" Ned cracked up at his own joke.

"Hey, that's right, I know you," said Brick. "You're that 'works at the Bueno Nacho' guy."

"That is correct."

Vivian looked Brick over. "Who are you? I haven't seen you before."

"Brick Flagg. I'm Justine's boyfriend."

"Oh, nice to meet you. Vivian Francis Porter. This is my boyfriend, Oliver."

Brick shook Oliver's hand, and was surprised to find that his own hand was almost crushed in the attempt.

"Oliver's a robot," Justine whispered in Brick's ear.

"Dude, you're a robot?"

"Yep."

"Don't you get worried that he'll attack you in your sleep and stuff?" he asked Vivian.

Oliver laughed. "Oh no, that could never happen with my behavioral inhibitors. It is impossible for me to harm, or by omission of action, allow to be harmed, a human being." He held a tray out to Brick and Justine. "Nacos?"

"Why yes, I think I will!" Brick grabbed a Naco and unwrapped it.

"I brought them from work," explained Ned. "It's no party without the snackage, as Ron Stoppable would say."

Justine watched as Vivian gave Brick another glance. This night was working out even better than she had expected. First she put Lindsay in her place, and now Vivian was clearly jealous as well. Justine had always been a little intimidated by Vivian – despite the accolades that Justine had collected over the years, she knew that Vivian was a brilliant scientist, not to mention an unusually gorgeous one. Vivian tended to focus in different specialties than Justine did, but sometimes she did feel a little threatened.

Now, however, Justine had something that Vivian did not. A real boyfriend. And a good looking one, no less. She couldn't begin to imagine why someone who looked like Vivian had a robot boyfriend instead of a normal one. Perhaps she liked his personality. It was more likely, Justine thought, that she just didn't have time to date with her schedule. Either way, Justine was looking very good in comparison.

"Hey there Brick!"

Bonnie Rockwaller and Larry suddenly appeared from the crowd. Justine cursed silently. Telling herself that the night was working out well was definitely a mistake - she had obviously jinxed herself.

"Hey Bonnie. What brings you here?" said Brick.

"Oh, I came along with Kim's cousin Larry. I thought I'd try something new. I guess I've been feeling like I want to change it up a little lately, you know what I mean Brick?"

"For sure! I feel the same way. That's why I'm here too."

Bonnie smiled and gave Justine a nod. "Hi Justine. Look, that fight we had the other day was really nasty. I know you hit me first, but I suppose it was both our faults – what do you say we just try to get along and be friendly from now on, for Brick's sake?"

Justine felt like she was trapped against a wall. There was no way Bonnie could be serious – Bonnie Rockwaller, trying to make amends? It had to be some kind of trap. But Justine didn't have much choice in the matter. If she turned down Bonnie's offer for a truce and made a scene, she would end up looking bad in front of Brick. She forced a smile and shook the cheerleader's well-manicured hand.

"Sure Bonnie. Let's just enjoy the contest."

Bonnie introduced Larry to Brick as they all sat down around the edges of the pit to watch the robots fight – still the same pair that had been fighting when Justine and Brick entered the room. Apparently they had been unable to score any serious blows against each other. Justine did not need to be introduced to Larry; she knew him well already. She was about to sit down beside her boyfriend when Larry managed to squeeze in between them.

"So, how about that Smackutron 2000?" Larry snorted. "The welding job along the plate metal is completely sub-par, I have to say. John really needs to read a manual."

"Sure."

Larry continued talking, but Justine zoned him out. She was focused on watching Bonnie, who had sidled up to Brick and was having a conversation with him over the cheers and shouts of the audience. Somehow her night had taken a nose dive. Justine looked down into the pit as the Crushinator finally scored a hit on Smackutron with its mallet appendage, and found that she had a lot of sympathy for the losing robot.

XX

Brick walked down the sidewalk with his girlfriend. Neither of them were saying much; Brick was thinking about the Robot Rumble. Seeing robots smash each other into a pulp was even better in real life than on television. He had also met some interesting new people. Not the type of people he usually hanged out with.

Talking to Bonnie had been nice – he hadn't gotten the chance to say much to his ex-girlfriend in a while – but he did not get to enjoy the contest with Justine as much as he would have liked. That Larry kid seemed to be talking to her a lot. Brick had gotten a distinct feeling that Justine was parading him a bit at the beginning of the contest, as well. As if he was a piece of meat. Going out with Bonnie had given him an acute sense of when he was being used as a trophy. It bothered Brick a little, but then he couldn't blame Justine; he was a good looking guy.

They arrived at Justine's house. Her living room window shone through the evening gloom; her parents were home. Justine opened the front door and Brick followed her into the living room, where her parents were sitting on the couch. Brick gave them a friendly wave.

"Hey Justine's mom, Justine's dad."

"Hello Brick," they said in unison. Leona Flanner cleared her throat as her daughter tried to slip away with Brick to the garage.

"Home a little late, aren't you?"

"Sorry mother. The contest took longer than we thought. The robots were horrible, they could barely hit each other."

Leona pointed at Brick. "Doesn't he have to go home sometime?"

"No ma'am, my dad doesn't really care."

Brick was half right, although more importantly, he did not feel like coming home yet. His father might talk to him more about football or about Justine, which was not an exciting thought. Worse yet, his father might not say anything. After the argument that afternoon, Brick's father had not said anything to him when he left with Justine for the contest.

"Just as long as you two aren't up all night. Justine, I'm sure you have some kind of work to do."

"Yes, mother."

Brick felt Justine try and fail to grab his arm's considerable girth. She grabbed his wrist instead and pulled him away into the garage with a surprisingly strong grasp. Brick began inspecting Justine's half-assembled robot like a kid in a candy shop as Justine closed the garage door with a sigh.

"Some time to ourselves!"

Brick looked up from the robot. "Yeah. Do your parents bug you?"

"Sometimes. They can be a little overbearing, I guess."

"Hey, by the way, how did they take that second detention you got? The one you got from fighting with Bonnie?"

"Sssh!" Justine held a finger to her lips. "I haven't told them about that."

"Uh oh," said Brick. "Being a bad girl?"

"I'll tell them eventually... I just have to figure out how exactly."

"You think they're gonna be really harsh?"

Justine sighed. "I'm not really sure. You know, I had never gotten a detention before I got to know you, Brick." Brick thought she was blaming him at first, but then her expression broke into a smirk.

Brick returned the smirk. "What can I say baby, I'm just a bad influence."

Justine laughed at the sight of Brick attempting to casually slick back his hair. "I'm sure. Anyway, it's nice to be home from that contest."

"Oh yeah? I thought it was pretty cool, didn't you?"

Justine began to rummage through her equipment on the work table against the garage wall. "Oh, I enjoyed it. I think it was a little crowded tonight though, didn't you?" She unfurled some schematics and glanced at the robot on the garage floor.

"Crowded? Is it normally less popular?"

"Well, there were some new people there. I wasn't expecting to see Bonnie. She was being a little ridiculous with that buddy-buddy act when she was around you."

"I dunno, Justine. I know you guys had that fight, but people can change. Bonnie did mention something about wanting to be friends a while ago. She seemed okay at the contest." Brick thought about the new people he had met at the Robot Rumble. "That Larry guy though, I noticed he was talking to you for the whole night. He's Kim's cousin too, I've heard her complain about that dude a couple times. I don't know about him."

Brick found himself surprised at his own reaction to Larry. Normally Brick got along easily with people, but something about the guy had bothered him. Maybe it was just the fact that he had been talking to Justine the whole night. He did seem like he had been trying to impress her. Bonnie had told Brick that the two of them were just acquaintances, and Larry had taken her along because she had grown an interest in robots after watching an episode of _Murderbots_. It was a little unexpected, but Brick had no reason to doubt her.

"Larry?" said Justine. "He's fairly harmless. He thinks he's a genius, but he's not. I'm pretty sure he's got some kind of a thing for me, he's always trying to impress me."

Brick felt himself becoming even more annoyed. He knew there was something going on with Larry. Brick had seen people with attitudes like Larry's, as well. People who looked down on him because he wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, like they were better than him.

_Chill out, Brick._

He made himself take a deep breath and forget about Larry. Brick knew that, as easygoing as he normally was, he could be the jealous type. There was the incident during the school exchange, when he had confronted that Hirotaka guy at Bueno Nacho after seeing him with Bonnie. Brick felt his cheeks flush. He had made a complete fool out of himself; it was an experience he did not like to remember. Larry might be annoying, but he didn't matter. Justine was his girlfriend, not Larry's, and that was that.

"So, what's up?" he asked Justine as she fiddled with some bolts on her robot.

"Just making some changes."

"Mind if I help?"

Justine looked up from the schematics that she had laid out on the floor. "Um, sure."

Brick looked over the half-finished robot. He remembered what he had seen at the contest. The two robots fighting in the pit had been particularly bad ones, according to Justine. Brick knew nothing about robotics, although he could certainly help Justine with manual labor if she needed it, but there was still something about the robots that seemed off.

"I was watching those two robots at the contest, right? And I was thinking, how come they both suck? It's because they were both so stiff and couldn't move around."

"Right."

"It was like the only thing the dudes that made them bothered with was putting big weapons on them. But one of them could have won a lot easier if it was faster, if it could pin the other one down or knock it over, or avoid all its attacks.

"It's like when I was playing football. I'm a big guy, but that doesn't matter if I can't avoid other people. Eventually I get dragged down. The biggest thing is speed, being able to throw the ball when it counts, avoiding the guys on the other team. Maybe the robot should be like that."

Justine seemed to be considering his suggestion as she looked over her own robot.

"Your robot's better than theirs, for sure, but it still looks you're focusing on just the weapons. Maybe you should try to make it faster, more flexible." Justine seemed to bristle at his criticism for a moment, but softened as she continued to listen.

Brick remembered a conversation with Ron Stoppable a few days ago while they were going to a class together. "The other day Ron was telling me about this awesome martial art he knows. _White Sinks Pequod_, I think it was called. He tried to show me how it works but he hit his head against his locker. It still sounded cool, though! He was talking about how it works because it mimics the way a monkey moves, it's unexpected, and it's really big on relaxation and moving fluidly, like how monkeys move through trees."

"So you're saying I should make the robot more like a monkey?" Justine's question seemed sarcastic, but her tone was serious.

"Maybe. Something like that, yeah."

Justine stared at him for a moment, and then began to scribble notes down furiously on her schematics. She started pulling pieces off her robot and arranging them around the floor, lost in her own world. Brick was happy enough just to watch her in action. Maybe he could help her even more than he had anticipated.

XX

* * *

_**Notes** - Hope you enjoyed the long chapter. :-p It might be a record for longest chapter I've written so far. Normally I don't like huge chapters because of the small scrollbar (and eventually you have very different scenes in one chapter that could have been separated into two) but in this case, I didn't think it was long enough to try to cut in half._


	11. Where in the World is Justine Flanner

**Where in the World is Justine Flanner**

XX

Monkey Fist lay on a plush pink couch, feeling bloated. The couch was comfortable, but the pink and peach color scheme of Amy's living room unsettled him. A cheery whistle came from the kitchen as Amy finished baking a new batch of chocolate chip cookies. Monkey Fist groaned at the sight of Amy coming out with a fresh tray balanced on her oven mitt-clad hands.

Amy grinned at her new live-in boyfriend. "Here's another batch!" She placed the tray on a coffee table and picked up one of the cookies, guiding it towards Monkey Fist's mouth with an airplane noise. "Here comes the cookie pilot, sweetie! Open up for landing!"

"Amy," pleaded Monkey Fist, "I've had enough cookies."

"How can anyone get enough chocolate chip cookies? You're so silly!"

Amy was at least kind enough not to force the cookie into Monkey Fist's mouth; she placed it back on the tray instead, ambling off to perform some household task.

"You know, Amy," said Monkey Fist as he watched one of his monkey minions playing with a strange clock on the coffee table, "I believe my monkey minions and I are adequately settled in now. You've given me the tour of the house - isn't it about time you showed me around your lab?"

Amy's head reappeared from around a corner. "What's the magic word?"

Monkey Fist scratched his head. "I demand... oh, please?"

"Well, if you insist."

Amy shooed the monkey minion on the coffee table aside and picked up the clock. Monkey Fist couldn't tell for sure, but it looked like the face of the clock was supposed to combine traits of an elephant and a tiger. Amy turned the clock's hands until they all pointed straight up. It made a clicking sound, and a nearby bookcase shifted aside to reveal a stone staircase.

"My secret entrance," explained Amy. "It used to be less well-hidden, but I've been doing some redecorating lately!"

Monkey Fist followed her down the stairs. He almost tripped in the darkness, but his simian reflexes kept him up until Amy turned on a light switch at the bottom of the stairs.

"It would make more sense to place your light switch at the _top_ of the steps."

Amy just laughed.

Monkey Fist looked around the laboratory. His style leaned towards the comfortable mustiness of manors and castles, filled with libraries and magical artifacts, but he had to admit that Amy's setup was impressive. The lab was a large circular chamber, lined with various pieces of equipment that Monkey Fist could not begin to identity. The center of the lab contained a smaller circular platform, indented slightly in the ground and surrounded by railings. The platform held a computer control center with a variety of blinking buttons and flashing lights.

"Over there is where I make my cuddly creations!" said Amy. She pointed to a hulking spherical machine on the other side of the room. "I've made it more powerful than ever before! I can make almost anything you can imagine now."

"Can you make an enormous monkey?"

"Probably, but who would want that? It's not like they ever made a Cuddle Buddy that was just a monkey! That's no fun at all."

Monkey Fist felt his eye twitch convulsively. Disregarding Amy's complete lack of appreciation for higher creatures, Monkey Fist was intrigued by the ability to make any creature that one might desire. He wondered why Amy was so set on getting her Cuddlesaurus back if she could just make a new one. Either way, if he wanted to use Amy for his own schemes, he would have to play along with her.

"Alright, I believe I've seen enough of your lab. It's time to start thinking about getting your Cuddlesaurus back. You said that it was sucked into a vortex by that girl, correct?"

"That's right! Justine Flanner." Amy's fist clenched into a ball and crushed a cookie that she had been nibbling. A stream of pulverized crumbs fell to the ground. "She had some kind of machine that she used to open up the portal, something she made for a science project. There was an article in the paper about it – they let my poor Cuddlesaurus out again in the school accidentally, but then they recaptured it. They had to rebuild the science class because of the trampling damage."

"In that case, it's time to find the machine and reopen the portal so we can get your creature back. You're talking about a science class at Middleton High School?"

"Yep!"

Monkey Fist walked back up the stairs as Amy followed eagerly behind him. "Perhaps the machine is at the school, or perhaps at her house, if it wasn't destroyed or sent elsewhere. Either way, I think we shall pay a visit to school this afternoon and see what we can find out."

XX

Brick poked at the gelatinous gray mass on his lunch tray. "What is this, anyway?"

"All I know," said Ron, "is that I asked for London broil." He turned from the table to look over his shoulder at the lunch lady. "It's a travesty I tell you!"

If the lunch lady noticed his pointed exclamation, she did not respond, except perhaps to slump her shoulders a tiny bit more than they were already slumping. Brick felt a little bad for her – being a lunch lady must be a thankless job. Still, he wondered if the inedible mass on his tray was her way of getting back at the students.

"Come on Brick, focus," said Justine. She tapped her pencil on the problem that mocked Brick from his open textbook. "What's the velocity at that time interval?"

"I dunno Justine, I can't figure it out."

"You just plug the numbers into the equation here."

Brick noticed the equation. "Oh, that one? Wait, where did that come from?"

"We went over it before. You're just not trying hard enough, Brick."

"I'm sorry. I'm not as good at this stuff as you are."

"You're just being lazy!"

Brick sighed in frustration. Sometimes Justine could go overboard with the studying. Brick wanted to get better, but she did not seem to be willing to go at his pace, and to be honest, Brick still wanted to have fun. It was lunch time; weren't people supposed to eat lunch at lunch time?

"I'm taking a break, Justine."

"Fine."

The other occupants of the table listened to Brick and Justine's spat uncomfortably. Kim, Ron, Tara, and Monique were all enjoying their lunch break as well; Brick and his girlfriend were the only ones focusing on doing homework, while everyone else was eating. Ron ate his gray goop with wild abandon, despite having complained about it earlier.

"Hey Kevin," said Brick as he noticed Kevin Guberman walking past them to another table.

"Hi Brick. Hey Tara!"

Kevin seemed to emphasize Tara's name. The blonde cheerleader looked up at Kevin and waved cheerfully. Brick noticed Ron look up for a moment as well, but he went back to his goop without saying anything. Brick thought it seemed obvious that Kevin had a thing for Tara, but perhaps he was wrong. Ron had not said anything about it, and it was hard to tell with Tara since she was friendly with everyone.

"You still gonna hang out at the park with us this afternoon?" asked Ron.

Brick nodded. "Definitely." He noticed Bonnie walking by and nodded to her with a smile; Bonnie returned the smile, but kept walking to another lunch table since theirs was full. "I need to stay after school a little bit, but me and Justine will see you guys there."

"Um, actually," said Justine, "I have a lot of work to do, and I need to work more on my robot as well. I think I'll just go home this afternoon."

"You should hang out, Justine. We can always work on the robot later."

"We want to win the contest, don't we?"

Justine was technically right. Brick did want to help Justine build a robot that could win the Robot Rumble, but more than that, he just wanted to hang out with her. Still, he knew how important winning the contest was to Justine.

"Sure. I guess that's what we're in it for."

XX

The room was clear.

Monkey Fist picked up the phone in the main office and dialed a number. A burst of green energy arced out from the receiver, and after a blinding flash of light, Amy stood in front of him. Monkey Fist smiled. The Transportulator was a versatile piece of technology.

"I saw a handful of students here and there, but the school is mostly empty," Monkey Fist told his partner in evil. "Even if someone sees you, I doubt they will ask any questions, but try to keep a low profile. Go to the science room and look for the Transportulator; it's down the hall to your left. I will stay here in the main office and look for Justine's address in the student files."

"You got it, honeybunny!"

Amy walked out the office door, taking exaggerated quiet steps. Monkey Fist had scoped out the school before bringing Amy in to help look for that girl Justine's device; it was unlikely that anyone would realize the pair were up to no good, but for all Monkey Fist knew, Amy might end up chattering on about their schemes to the first person who asked her. Thus, he had decided to enter the school stealthily and minimize the time Amy had to blow their cover. Monkey Fist himself was wearing a suit and tie that he had scrounged out of Amy's closet – perhaps belonging to some ex-boyfriend - in place of the black ninja outfit he normally wore, so that he would look like less of an obvious thief.

Monkey Fist began to root through several filing cabinets behind the office receptionist's desk. Each drawer proved more fruitless than the last; there were hundreds of manila folders and dividers, all arranged in a seemingly random order. The labels did not even seem to be in English, and contained more numbers and symbols than words. Bureaucracy, Monkey Fist thought angrily. What a nightmare. All he had to do was find a drawer related to student files - why was it so hard? At this rate, he'd have to look at each individual piece of paper.

"EXCUSE me!"

Monkey Fist turned to find a hulking, middle-aged man with a buzz cut standing imperiously on the other side of the receptionist's desk. "Yes?"

"Is there something I can help you with?" said the man.

"Who might you be?"

"My name is Steve Barkin. I teach here."

Monkey Fist sized the man up. He looked like someone who harbored no nonsense, and could perhaps throw a punch, but Monkey Fist decided he would be no match for the power of Tae Sheng Pek Kwar. Nevertheless, Monkey Fist believed that keeping a low profile was the order of the day.

"I am looking for some information on a student of yours, Justine Flanner."

"Ah yes. Miss Flanner. A dedicated student and talented physicist. Why are you interested in her?"

"I work for a magazine. I was hoping to write an article on some of her achievements, and I wanted to find out where she lived so that I might interview her."

Barkin crossed his hefty arms over his chest skeptically. "And why did you think the way to go about doing that was to go rooting through school records?"

"I must apologize. I didn't see anyone here in the office and I just thought I'd take a peek. However, I do not seem to understand the system."

Barkin strolled over to the filing cabinets and took a look at the labels. "That's because they're arranged using the Hatchett filing system. Very similar to the Hatchett decimal system. She's our school librarian – whenever we need something from the student files, we ask her to get it. I can't help you myself, seeing as she has to use a graphing calculator when she looks for something in here."

"Hmm, that's a shame." Monkey Fist decided to try a different approach. "I was actually hoping to interview Miss Flanner about a particular invention that she created, which was used to capture a large dinosaur creature that ran amok in Middleton a little while ago."

"Ah yes," said Barkin. "The Kinematic Continuum Disruptor!"

"Yes. That."

"Wait a minute." The towering teacher narrowed his eyes at Monkey Fist. "You're not a news reporter, are you? We've moved on from the dinosaur incident. The school holds NO LIABILITY!"

"Oh no, not at all!" Monkey Fist shrank back briefly at the sight of a vein that was bulging in Barkin's neck. "I was just interested in hearing more about this so-called Cinematic Incontinence device."

"Not much to say. It rips a hole in the fabric of space and time. Justine and another student of ours, Kim Possible, used it to capture a gigantic beast that was created by a local mad scientist, according to rumor. The same scientist, in fact, that captured me on a school field trip and almost fused me with a naked mole rat to create a disgusting crime against all that is good and holy!" Barkin's vein began to bulge out again. "That woman is CRAZY, I tell you!"

"So you know Amy Hall?"

"Yes. Why, do you?"

"I've heard of her before," Monkey Fist said with a cough.

Their conversation trailed off as they both listened to the sound of humming accompanied by skipping feet coming down the hallway outside the office door. Monkey Fist knew it could only be one person. He realized that if Barkin saw Amy, their cover would be blown.

"Excuse me a moment, would you? I have to use the restroom."

Monkey Fist dashed out the office door before Barkin could respond. Amy was approaching him from down the hallway. He rushed towards her and grabbed her, throwing the two of them into the men's bathroom before Barkin could exit the office and see who she was. Amy squeaked in fright.

"Monty! This is the boy's bathroom!"

"Yes, I don't care Amy. We have to stay hidden for a moment. I just ran into a teacher here that knows you, apparently. Some Barkin fellow."

"Ooh, Steve Barkin? I have to go out and say hello!"

Monkey Fist blocked the door impatiently before Amy could rush out. "No, don't you see? If he sees you here, he'll know something is amiss."

"Oh Monty, you're such a spoilsport."

"Did you find the device in the science lab?"

Amy shook her head. "Wasn't there. They must not store their science projects in the school."

"Perhaps she does have it at home, then. I'll go back to the office and ask that Steve Barkin character. In the meantime, you need to get out of here."

"But Monty, I thought I was helping with your plans!"

"Of course, dear. You've been an incredible help."

"Can't I stay, then?"

Monkey Fist sighed in exasperation. Getting Amy to do his bidding was like trying to herd cats. "Amy, it just occurred to me – did you ever turn the oven off when you were baking cookies this morning?"

Amy looked stricken. "Oh, my."

"Yes, you'd better go home and check, quickly! I'll be back home in no time so I can watch you do some knitting, or some such inanity."

Monkey Fist darted his head out of the bathroom door, checking to see if the well-built teacher was stalking the halls. He must have been still in the office, doing whatever had brought him in there in the first place.

"Quickly Amy, sneak out. Go the other way, there is a back door down that hallway. I'll be home shortly."

Amy giggled. "You'd better be, monkey-wunkey!"

XX

Brick was looking forward to spending some time outside. He had just spent an hour or so in the school library, trying to cram in a little physics study while the class was still fresh on his mind, before he could be distracted by a pleasant afternoon in the park. He hoped he was picking the material up. Justine seemed to insist he wasn't trying hard enough, but sometimes Brick thought he was just too stupid to understand it.

All Brick could do was try, but perhaps trying was not good enough if it did not lead to success. Brick wasn't sure what he personally thought. Success was very important to Mr. Barkin and to the football team, and people around him seemed to think that way. Justine and Kim both seemed to have that attitude, and Brick knew they were smarter than he was. Perhaps they were right.

Brick hummed a vague tune as he tossed a football in his hands that he was planning to take to the park. Perhaps Ron would want to play catch with him. As he turned a corner and began to walk down the hall to the school doors, he heard a pair of voices coming from the main office. One voice belonged to Mr. Barkin, while the other was an unfamiliar English voice. He heard the English voice mention something about Justine Flanner. Brick opened the main office doors, his curiosity piqued. Inside, Mr. Barkin was speaking to a stranger in a suit and tie.

"Hey," said Brick. "Did I hear somebody mention my girlfriend?"

"You're Justine Flanner's boyfriend?" asked the stranger.

"Sure am!"

"I did mention her name. I'm a magazine journalist, and I'm planning on writing an article about her – I was hoping to find out how I could get in contact with her, and perhaps find out a little bit about her." The stranger glanced at Mr. Barkin, and then back at Brick. "I was just about to leave, as a matter of fact. Would you like to take a walk with me?"

"Sure, I'm about to leave too."

The stranger smiled and walked towards the office doors with what was, in Brick's opinion, a strangely loping gait. Brick was about to leave when Mr. Barkin caught his attention.

"Flagg – I hope your father remembers that we have parent teacher conferences coming up this weekend?"

"Yes sir, I think so. I'll remind him."

There was an awkward silence. Brick had the feeling that Mr. Barkin wanted to say something else, but he wasn't sure what is was. Brick noticed Mr. Barkin looking at the football in his hands, and decided to ask about the team.

"How are you guys doing? Is Eddie quarterback now?"

"He is. He seems to be okay with it."

Brick was not surprised. Eddie had always talked about how he would be great as quarterback. "You think you guys will be ready for the game against the Lowerton Lemurs?"

"We'll manage it, I'm sure." Mr. Barkin's voice softened almost imperceptibly. "We miss you on the team though, Flagg."

Brick wasn't sure what to say, so he just nodded as he left the room. The magazine reporter stopped at the school's front door and looked out the window for a second, almost as if he was checking to see what was outside, before he opened the doors and walked into a sunny afternoon.

Brick observed the reporter as he walked down the school's front steps. Occasionally his hands would droop down towards the ground, as if the man was about to slump over and use all four limbs to walk before thinking better of it. Brick noticed the man was quite hairy as well.

"Hey dude, you need a shave."

"Excuse me?"

"There's a really good electric shaver I could recommend."

The man gave Brick a confused expression and changed the subject. "Your girlfriend Justine – she's very good at inventing things, no?"

"Yeah, totally. She's a genius, she can build all kinds of cool stuff. She's even building a robot for this contest that we're competing in. I'm helping her out. We're going to try to win by making the robot more flexible and unpredictable, like a monkey."

"A monkey? You don't say."

The man seemed to be very interested in Brick's girlfriend, and Brick did not blame him. He thought Justine's accomplishments were fascinating, even if he didn't always understand how they worked.

"So," the reporter said, "would you mind telling me where your girlfriend lives, so that I may interview her sometime?"

"Not a prob. Couldn't you just check the phone book, though?"

"Ah, yes." The man seemed deep in thought. "Ah yes, a phone book... for contacting people."

_Kind of a weird reporter_, thought Brick.

XX

"Hey guys!"

Brick waved at his friends, who were gathered around a picnic table in the park. Kim and Tara waved back from the table, while Ron was too busy eating snacks to respond. Monique looked up and waved from where she was laying on a beach towel in the grass. The afternoon was bright and pleasant, and all three of the girls seemed to be dressed in particularly eye-popping outfits in order to enjoy the sunny weather. Brick was glad he had chosen to stop by the park.

"Justine still wanted to go home instead of hanging out, huh?"

Brick nodded at Kim. "I guess. She's a busy girl."

He understood that Justine was driven – he supposed that was part of why she was such an intelligent person who had accomplished so many impressive things – but sometimes he worried about how much time she spent on work. It was important to enjoy a little free time. From what Justine had told him, she hadn't done that much, and in fact Brick was almost introducing her to the concept. Still, it was just one afternoon, Brick thought. They'd hang out later.

"What's the snackage?" he asked.

"Pop Pop Porter's Food-style Pork Wafers!" exclaimed Tara. "Ron got me hooked up on them a while ago, when we were at Wannaweep." She stuffed a handful of wafers into her mouth and ate them, letting out a petite burp.

Brick tried the wafers himself. They were definitely food-style; he approved. "Right on!"

Brick and Ron finished off the last of the pork wafers while Tara spread out a towel on the grassy park ground and joined Monique in sunbathing. Brick glanced around the park; there were a few families here and there, and some children playing in a nearby jungle gym, but the park was relatively empty.

Brick picked up the football that he had taken along to play catch with Ron when he noticed a few people playing their own game of catch on the other side of the park. Eddie Jackson was there, as was Steve Farley and a few other athletes. He couldn't be sure, but Brick thought he noticed Eddie glancing at him for a moment with an unreadable expression, and then turning his attention away as if he hadn't noticed anything. Brick thought about trying to get Eddie's attention and say hello, but decided against it.

"Hey Ron," he said, "you interested in playing some catch?"

"I dunno Brick, I'm not so good with the old pig puck."

"The what?" Brick looked down at the ball. "Oh. Come on, it's just catching."

Ron shrugged and jumped off the picnic table.

"Go long!"

Brick shot the football through the air like a bullet as Ron ran wide into the field. The three girls watched the pass with interest, and joined Brick in flinching as Ron nearly plowed straight through a family's picnic spread. Despite the near-horrific accident, Ron managed to catch the ball. Instead of passing it back immediately, Ron ran about halfway back to the picnic table where Brick was waiting, and then hefted the football back. It fell slightly short of Brick. Monique screeched and curled into a fetal position as the ball narrowly missed her, instead bouncing off the grass towards the picnic table, where it was caught by Kim. She passed it to Brick with a smile.

Ron arrived at the picnic table with a sheepish grin. "Uh, sorry about that. My bad!"

Brick shrugged. "Hey, other than almost braining Monique, that wasn't bad. You're a pretty fast runner. You could use some work, but I bet you'd be okay on the football team. You ever thought about trying out?"

"What? Me on the football team? You're just pulling my leg, right?"

"No way man! Besides, there's an open spot, now that I'm out."

Kim frowned as she listened to their conversation. "What? You quit the team, Brick?"

"Yeah. I wanted to have more time for other things."

"I thought you liked football, though."

Brick made another pass to Ron. "Sure I do."

"Did Justine tell you to quit?" asked Kim.

Brick had to run long in order to catch Ron's returning pass; Ron's aim was not great, but he could at least throw the ball. Kim's question bothered Brick a little. Everyone seemed to assume that Justine had made him quit the team. Why didn't they believe he had chosen it for himself?

XX

Kim closed her textbook and looked up from the picnic table. She had been finishing a little homework while her friends were sunbathing or playing catch, but she wanted to take a break, especially since she was getting a crick in her neck. She stretched a bit and shifted her head from side to side, noticing that the park was beginning to fall into a soft orange haze. The sun was sinking lower in the sky as the afternoon wore on.

"Check it out, girl." Monique, who had gotten up from sunbathing now that it was getting late, was sitting on the picnic bench next to Kim. She pointed at the sight of Brick and Ron. They had been passing the ball to each other, but now they seemed to be chasing a small group of butterflies around the park.

Kim laughed. "It looks like they're having fun."

"How about you? Are you having fun?"

"Sure, Monique."

"Just seems like you don't get the opportunity to hang out with Ron as much lately. At least not without Tara around. She's not being an F.B, is she?"

"No."

Despite saying no, Kim thought that Monique was right. Tara was being a bit of a Friend Blocker. The blonde had left a few minutes ago to go home, so she wasn't with Ron now, but it had been a while since Kim had gotten to hang out with Ron, just the two of them. Tara was a nice girl, but sometimes Kim did want her out of the way. Not that Ron was _her_ Ron or anything – after all, no one owned Ron – but Kim had not realized how much she took Ron's attention for granted until it was being monopolized by someone else.

"It's no big, anyway. Me and Tara are friends, we get along fine."

"Right. Has Ron ever had a girlfriend before, by the way?"

Kim tried to remember. "Not really. Not that I can think of."

Kim was beginning to get tired of the conversational topic when Monique did her a favor and changed it. "Trouble, coming this way," she said as she nodded towards the person walking across the grassy park towards their picnic table.

"Hey Bonnie," said Kim.

"Hey K." Bonnie seemed a little distracted by the sight of Brick, who was still running around with Ron and hadn't noticed his ex-girlfriend's arrival. "I was just out for a walk in the park. Where's Justine, by the way? Shouldn't she be here hanging out with Brick?"

"She had to stay home and study."

"That's a shame." Bonnie was not looking at Kim while she spoke to her, her gaze still fixated on the frolicking pair of boys. "I'm going to go talk to Brick. Nice outfit, by the way."

"Um, thanks." Kim looked down at her clothing and back up again as Bonnie walked over to Brick and greeted him. He looked happy to see her.

"Did Queen B just compliment you, Kim?"

"I think so. I don't even know if she actually saw my outfit, though. She's been acting kind of weird lately. Like she's not even paying attention to me anymore. It's been kind of nice."

"I bet."

Kim wondered why Bonnie had been so out sorts recently. She did seem to be fixated on Justine and Brick and their new relationship together; perhaps she was having a hard time getting over Brick. Some people just didn't want to let someone go, Kim thought.

Something about her train of thought bothered Kim. As a matter of fact, Bonnie was acting strangely, but Kim had been feeling strange herself. Out of sorts. Bonnie's behavior threw her off, but her lack of quality time with Ron was also messing up her rhythm. Not to mention that she and Wade had still been unable to make any progress on figuring out who stole the Transportulator. Normally, Kim did not have so much trouble cracking cases. She hoped things would get back to normal soon.


	12. Kinematic Continuum, Disrupted

**Kinematic Continuum, Disrupted**

XX

Mason Flagg sat in his recliner, illuminated by the glow of the television set. It was morning, but he had been out of bed since before the sun rose. He had been having trouble sleeping. The television was playing a familiar football game that Mason had on tape. Mason watched the tape sometimes when he was in an unhappy mood, although he wasn't sure exactly why. It brought back painful memories, but he felt an urge to dwell on them.

The football game was familiar not just because Mason had seen the tape before, but because he had played in the game itself, long ago. It was one of Mason's final college games. He was the quarterback, and the game was critical for the season. The other team had put up a strong defense, and the score was tied.

Mason watched himself on the television as he stood on the field, looking left and right, faking a pass, seeing an opening in the other team's line, and then running for it. Yard after yard disappeared beneath his feet. The announcers went wild. Cheers rose up from the stands, floated fuzzily out from the television speakers and into his ears. Touchdown. Mason Flagg, leading his team to victory.

After that victory, the offers from professional teams had come quickly. Mason was getting ready to graduate from college; it was a good thing that the offers were coming, because he hadn't made any significant plans if football didn't work out. And, since fate often had a cruel sense of humor, the football thing did not work out. Mason had broken a limb soon afterwards in a fall from a ladder. It did not heal well. His football career was over, and the offers disappeared.

He remembered Samantha – his fiancée at the time, pregnant with Brick. They had gotten married soon after Mason's accident. It had taken his mind off his changing fortunes, and after Brick's birth, Mason had lived some of the happiest years of his life. Time passed, however, and Mason's professional prospects were always up in the air. He worked odd jobs, some longer than others, but much of the time it was Samantha that kept the two of them afloat. Samantha was a hard worker, more responsible than Mason, and she was going places.

Eventually Samantha left. Mason was not going places, and she felt tied down. He knew that Samantha loved Brick, but she did not want to be tied down with raising a son. He didn't understand the attitude, but then he wasn't perfect either. The divorce had been relatively easy, and Samantha had agreed that Brick should live with Mason. Brick visited his mother occasionally, but she was often very busy. Mason rarely talked to her.

"Hey pop."

Brick came running down the stairs, about to leave for school. "Any plans today?" his son asked after seeing the football tape that was playing on the television.

Mason shook his head.

"Alright. By the way, remember parent teacher conferences are coming up this weekend."

"Oh yeah. Thanks for reminding me."

"I'm off to school," said Brick as he picked up his backpack.

"Bye Brick. Enjoy yourself."

Mason turned back to the game after his son disappeared out the door. Thinks had been awkward with Brick lately, probably due to the conversation they had shared the other day after Justine came over to eat dinner. The girl had not given Mason a good impression, but Brick's reaction had not been what he was expecting. He remembered Brick's words:

_Maybe I don't want to be like you._

The words hung over Mason's head like a dark cloud. And yet, could he blame his son? Mason looked at himself, sitting in a chair and watching a game. Not just watching a game. Reliving a past that would never return. His son seemed to be going places, but where did that leave Mason?

He stood up from the recliner, feeling a surge of dissatisfaction. He didn't want to be a disappointment to his son. Here he was, sitting in his living room doing nothing to support his son, while Brick was in school thinking about his future. Mason needed to do the same thing. The past was past.

He walked into his room and picked out his only suit from the closet. In the bathroom, he washed himself up and clipped a few stray hairs. The suit went on, along with a watch from the end table. He collected some papers and gathered them into an old briefcase, also from his closet. A snack from the kitchen went into his briefcase along with the papers. It was time to go out and look for a job. For his own sake, and for Brick's sake.

As he walked back into the living room, Mason noticed that the football game was still playing. His past self had already scored the goal, the cheers were dying down, and players were being interviewed. It was all downhill from there.

Unless Mason changed that. He ejected the tape from the VCR and threw it into the trash without a second thought. As he walked out the front door, Mason felt a breeze of fresh air brush past his face. It was going to be a beautiful morning.

XX

"No throwing trash in the car, sweetie!"

Monkey Fist grumbled through a mouthful of his morning banana snack, picking up the discarded peel from the floorboards of Amy's station wagon. He stuffed the banana peel into the suit pocket of his reporter's disguise. The two of them were parked outside the residence of a certain Justine Flanner, making sure that the house was empty. They had not been able to steal the portal-opening device yesterday after Brick had told Monkey Fist where his brainy girlfriend lived, since the girl and her parents were all in the house. Monkey Fist preferred to wait until things were a little quieter to maintain the element of stealth.

After sitting in the car for half hour or so, Monkey Fist decided that the coast looked clear. Justine had gone to school, and her parents seemed to be at work. He grabbed the Transportulator, which was sitting in the back seat of Amy's station wagon; they had brought it along in order to test it out in the field.

"Call them first, just to make sure they aren't still sleeping inside."

Monkey Fist nodded. It was a surprisingly astute observation on Amy's part. He dialed a number on the Transportulator, making sure the transportation function was turned off – Dementor had apparently thought it was important that the device could function as a gigantic, unwieldy, but otherwise normal phone as well – and listened to the number ring. The answering machine picked up after a few moments.

"It does not appear that they are inside." Monkey Fist's mouth twisted into a malevolent smile. "Time to perform a field test, Amy! Wait here in the car, and I will sneak inside the house. After a few moments, dial their number again and I will pick up the phone."

Monkey Fist left the station wagon and crept along some hedges. Amy watched excitedly as her boyfriend disappeared from view before her eyes. Monty was adorable and cuddly, to be sure, but Amy admired his many talents when it came to ninja skills and martial arts. As far as she was concerned, Monty was the full package.

She decided that Monty had been given enough time to reach the phone inside of Justine's house, and reached down to dial the number on the Transportulator. She enjoyed using the device to teleport around, just like they did on _Captain Constellation_. Amy's smile widened as a blinding green glow enveloped her, and she heard a whooshing sound as she was transported. The green light died down and she slowly regained her sight as she looked around at her new surroundings.

She was still in the car.

"Amy?"

Monkey Fist looked in through the passenger's window. Amy looked outside of the car's windows. Her station wagon was inside Justine's house.

"Monty, I don't think that worked right."

Amy tried to open the car door, but realized that her station wagon had been transported right in the middle of a wall, which was jamming the door shut. She got out of the opposite door instead, and surveyed the sight before her. The car had materialized halfway through one of the walls of the house, next to the kitchen phone. Amy was standing in the kitchen, but she could see the living room through the car's windows. A crack ran up from where the car had punched its hole in the wall, and a chunk of plaster dropped from the ceiling onto the car's hood with a loud thunk.

"Wait, if the car is here..." Monkey Fist peered into the car and confirmed his suspicions. "The Transportulator is sitting out in the middle of the street."

He rubbed his forehead, which was beginning to pulse with pain. Perhaps the device was not as fun as he had thought. They had confirmed that the Transportulator could send a person from place to place with his clothing and holding weapons or other non-stationary objects. Monkey Fist had failed to think about the fact that the Transportulator would probably move a car as well.

"We'll just have to figure out a way to get the car out of the house before anyone gets back here," said Monkey Fist. His preference for stealth had obviously not worked out, but they could still do damage control at this point.

Monkey Fist looked around the house. Other than the fresh hole in the wall, Justine's home was extremely clean, almost clinical. Like a museum. Everything seemed to be arranged in a very particular way. He noticed the stairs leading up to the second floor, as well as a door that looked like it would lead into the garage.

"Amy, go upstairs and find the girl's room, search for the – what was it that man Steve Barkin called it – the Kinematic thing. I'm going to go outside and pick up the Transportulator off the road before someone runs it over with their car."

Amy hopped up the stairs as Monkey Fist left the house and walked into the middle of the road, picking up the device. He did not see anyone in the neighborhood out walking, but at this point Monkey Fist knew that field testing the Transportulator had been a bad idea.

He walked back into the house and noticed the door leading into the garage. _Perhaps the girl has stored the __device in there_, he thought. Monkey Fist opened the door. Half of the garage was empty - Justine's parents' car was not there, which meant they were definitely at work.

More interesting to Monkey Fist, however, was the cluttered mess that took up the other half of the garage. A metallic figure stood in the center of the mess. Monkey Fist walked up to the figure and looked it over. Some kind of robot, he thought. A very simian looking robot. It must be what the girl's boyfriend had been telling Monkey Fist about when they left the school.

A table beside Monkey Fist was covered in metal parts and schematics. He looked over the papers with increasing interest. Justine definitely seemed to be designing the robot to use monkey-like reflexes. The schematics seemed quite detailed, as well – the jock hadn't been lying when he said his girlfriend was a genius. Monkey Fist had no idea why a pair like them would be going out. Teenagers were a mystery to him.

Monkey Fist gathered the schematics together and rolled them up, while attempting to roll the robot prototype out of the garage. The robot was large and ungainly, but it looked like it would fit into the car. He entered the living room just in time to see Amy come running excitedly down the stairs with what looked like a cross between a steel lunchbox and a briefcase. A controller was placed on top of it.

"Here is it, I found it!"

Monkey Fist smiled. Their entrance had not been perfect, but at least they would be exiting with some goodies. "Excellent. Now we shall return to your house -"

"_Our_ house, sugarbooger!"

"-Yes, right. We shall return and map out the next step of our plan."

Amy looked like she was about to open the front door and walk back to her house on foot when she noticed the car, still lodged in the wall between the living room and kitchen.

"How are we going to get the car out?"

Monkey Fist stared at the vehicle and scratched his head. Could they drive it through another wall? Maybe they could crash through the living room window somehow. Only one way to find out.

XX

Justine, having just gotten back from school, parked her car in the driveway and got out as she stared at the broken living room window.

This was new.

The grass in front of the house was covered in shards of glass, and a pair of furrows made it look like a car had hit the ground hard and accelerated off the lawn and onto the driveway. Justine unlocked the front door of her house and went inside to find a gaping hole staring at her in the living room wall. She glanced at the broken window; a makeshift ramp had been assembled from furniture to reach as high as the bottom of the window. Several other pieces of furniture looked like they had been run over.

"Okay, what the..." she said out loud to no one in particular.

The door leading into the garage was hanging open. Justine walked inside. Her parents' car was not there, so she could rule out the possibility that they had decided to go on a pleasant drive through their own house. The half of the garage that was devoted to her robot work area looked wrong. Namely, there was no robot. As Justine looked at the table lined up against the side of her work space, she noticed that her schematics were missing as well.

Justine had no idea what was going on. She fought a rising sense of anger as she wondered if Bonnie had stolen the robot to sabotage her in the contest, but that did not explain the wreckage in her living room. Something about the chaotic scene gave her the impression that it was not Bonnie's work. Whatever had happened, it looked like the kind of thing that a certain red-headed cheerleader might be able to help with. Justine pulled out her cell phone and gave Kim Possible a beep.

XX

Brick stared at Justine's shattered living room window. This was new.

"Hello?" he said as he noticed someone walking by the window. Kim Possible poked her head out.

"Oh, hey Brick. Come on in."

"Thanks."

Brick was anxious to find out what was going on and make sure that Justine was alright. He had walked over to her house after school hoping to surprise her and hang out a bit, or even help her with the robot if she happened to be working on it, but obviously something was wrong if Kim was there.

Brick was about to try to climb over the jagged glass at the window's edge when he realized that Kim must have meant through the front door. He opened the door to find Kim, Ron, and Justine in the living room, gazing at one of the biggest messes Brick had ever seen.

"Is that a hole in your living room wall?"

Justine nodded. "Yup."

"We're trying to figure out what happened," said Kim as she inspected the hole. "It almost looks like a car was in here, but it didn't come in through the window, it went out. I don't know how it got in here in the first place!"

Justine pointed towards the garage. "The robot that Brick and I were building for the Robot Rumble is gone, too. As well as the all the blueprints and paperwork I had."

Brick looked crestfallen as the group entered the garage, while Ron flailed his arms in the air as he almost slipped. Kim caught him before he fell on the ground.

"Nice catch, KP." Ron looked down at what he had slipped on. "Whoa, check it out. A banana peel!"

Kim stared quizzically at the peel. "Do you think you left that here, Justine?"

"I don't think so. I haven't eaten any bananas lately."

As the group returned to the living room, Brick gave his girlfriend a worried look. "Does this mean we won't be able to compete in the Robot Rumble?"

"No, I can remake the robot," said Justine. "Although this doesn't help me. I have some of the notes on my computer though, and a lot of it in my head. It's just frustrating that I have to rebuild the robot. I don't know why someone would have stolen it."

Brick began to feel a sinking sensation as he thought about the previous afternoon after school. He had no idea why someone would steal Justine's robot, and go to such great lengths to do it, but he wondered if the reporter had not been honest about his intentions. That guy had been pretty strange, after all.

"Hey, anybody in there?"

Brick looked out of the broken living room window. Someone was standing outside and looking into the house. "Hey dude, what's up?"

"I'm one of the next door neighbors. Did something happen here?"

Kim looked out the window. "Yeah, somebody broke in here and stole something."

"Well," said the neighbor, "earlier today I saw somebody coming out from this house that I didn't recognize. He was picking something up off the road, but he looked kind of suspicious. I'm sorry that I didn't think to call the police. I suppose I hadn't thought much of it at the time, but I was just taking a walk and noticed what happened to your living room window."

"Do you know what the guy looked like?" asked Kim.

"Stocky, black hair, in a business suit. It was kind of strange the way he picked up whatever it was off the road, too. It was like he put one of his hands down and rested on his knuckles for a second."

Kim frowned. The man that the neighbor was describing sounded oddly familiar. "Well, thanks," she said. "You live next door?" The man nodded and pointed to his house. "We'll stop by if we have any other questions."

Brick scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Uh, guys?"

"Yeah?"

"That kind of sounds like someone I saw the other day."

The group stared at Brick expectantly as he began to explain himself. "There was this reporter guy that I ran into after school yesterday. He was asking questions about Justine, and I might have mentioned the robot thing to him."

"What did the reporter look like?"

"Well, he seemed kind of hairy. And he walked a little weird sometimes. Almost like he wanted to run on all fours once in a while, but he was trying not to."

Ron held the banana peel in the air and shouted in excitement. "Monkey Fist!"

"It does sound kind of like him," said Kim. "Wearing a business suit, though? And stealing a robot seems a little strange, even if it did have a simian theme. Monkey Fist is usually big on magic things."

"Maybe he's just trying out new things," said Brick a little defensively. "People can change!"

"Um, sure." Kim pulled the Kimmunicator from her pocket. "I think we need to call Wade. Time to check out a couple of Monkey Fist's lairs and see if we can't find out where he is."

"Can I come help?" asked Brick hopefully.

Kim was about to respond when Ron stepped forward. "Uh, I think it should just be me and Kim on this one, dude. Monkey Fist tends to be my forté. What with the monkey ninja martial arts power we both have."

"Ron, that Tai Sheng Pek Kwar stuff barely even kicks in most of the time."

"Yeah, but still KP, I think we should be handling Monkey Fist ourselves, don't you think?"

Kim shrugged. Ron's reaction was a little unexpected; he was always willing to go with her on missions, of course, but normally he wasn't so gung-ho about it. Particularly a mission that would involve Monkey Fist and, by extension, his army of monkey minions. Ron _had_ seemed a little bit surprised when he heard about the last mission in Greece that Kim and Brick went on together. Perhaps he felt like he had been slacking on the sidekick duties.

"Alright guys," said Kim, "Ron and I are gonna go check this sitch out."

Brick waved as the pair left Justine's house while Kim talked to Wade on her Kimmunicator. He was disappointed not to be going along with them. Hopefully they weren't mad that he had inadvertently given Monkey Fist information and aided his schemes, whatever they were. Brick turned to Justine guiltily.

"I'm really sorry, Justine. I hope I didn't screw everything up."

"No," said Justine. "It's alright. I mean, I wish you hadn't told Monkey Fist about my robot, but it's not the end of the world." She gestured to the hole in the wall. "I'm just wondering how I'm going to explain this to my parents."

XX

Monkey Fist sat in a desk chair in the laboratory underneath Amy's house. He watched as his monkey minions gathered around the partially-constructed robot that he had placed in the lab as he looked over the robot schematics. The monkeys were staring up at the robot in awe, as if it was some kind of obelisk. During his long history of working with monkeys, Monkey Fist had noticed that the creatures seemed to be fond of obelisks.

"Monty," called Amy from the top of the stairway, "Are you ready to meet Cuddlesaurus?"

Monkey Fist put down the schematics and walked up the stairs. "I'm not sure, Amy. Perhaps we shouldn't release the creature just yet."

The look Amy gave him was withering, but Monkey Fist ignored it. If he was being honest with himself, he hadn't formed a very strong plan yet. Monkey Fist had decided to do something nefarious with Amy because, even though their relationship was becoming more strained, it was worth using her skills while they were available to him.

The basic plan had been to get the portal-opening device from that brainiac teen, release Amy's beast, and then use the Transportulator to send it wherever he wanted. After the beast was commanded to wreak a swathe of destruction wherever it was sent, Monkey Fist could be transported in relative safety to the flattened location and pick up the pieces, commanding the survivors to do whatever he wanted.

He had a few ideas for good first targets. The Yamanouchi school deserved to be taught a lesson, for instance. And there was a temple of impudent monks in Tibet that Monkey Fist was fairly certain were hiding some kind of secret monkey lore. Most importantly, of course, Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable would be defeated, and Monkey Fist would find a way to take Stoppable's mystical monkey power away from him. Or perhaps just kill him and his pet, leaving Monkey Fist as the sole remaining practitioner of Tai Sheng Pek Kwar. Monkey Fist thought the more direct option had a certain flair about it.

As he followed Amy into her soft-hued living room, however, Monkey Fist was unsure of his plan. This monkey robot was an interesting new development. When Monkey Fist had seen the schematics in Justine's home, dark ideas sparked within him. The robot itself was too small to be of much use, but why not build a larger one? Monkey Fist had no idea how to do it, of course, but that was what henchmen were for. He had schematics, and he knew Jack Hench was having a sale on hired goons. Monkey Fist lived cheaply, but his girlfriend's career as a geneticist had given her a sizable bank account, as the impressive laboratory demonstrated.

"Amy," he said as the rotund woman picked up the device that had trapped her precious Cuddlesaurus, "don't release it yet."

"Why would I release it in my house, silly? It would break right through the ceiling!"

"True."

Monkey Fist followed Amy distractedly as she walked through the house. "I've just been thinking, maybe we need to postpone releasing your Cuddle creature for a little while, until we can consolidate our plan. It's possible that we could build a robot to use along with the dinosaur. Once we release that creature, based on what you've said, it's going to be hard for Kim Possible to ignore it."

Amy nodded vaguely. "I suppose, but it hurts me just to think about my poor Cuddlesaurus, out there lost beyond the edges of the time-space continuum! Why wait when we can release him now?"

Monkey Fist felt himself begin to become frustrated. "We haven't even decided where we are going to command him to attack! I have a few targets in mind, but this is a little premature."

"Command? I don't know what you mean, Monty."

"I mean, where we are going to tell the beast to attack. How do you command him, anyways?"

"I don't tell Cuddlesaurus what to do."

Monkey Fist felt confused. "Is that not what you do with the creatures you create? They are your servants, are they not?"

"Oh, sure. Most of the time. Cuddlesaurus didn't exactly like to play nice, though. I think he was just a little grumpy when Kim Possible and that evil Flanner girl attacked him. He must be so upset at being trapped! But I'm sure he'll be okay once I get him back and shower him with love and affection."

Monkey Fist suddenly felt a sense of dread. Clearly, Amy had not told him enough about the Cuddlesaurus. Amy had stories about a variety of her creations that obeyed her commands – living Cuddle Buddies, he remembered her calling them – but from what she was saying now, it sounded like perhaps this Cuddlesaurus was not a controllable creature at all.

Deep in thought, Monkey Fist had was not paying attention as he followed Amy out of her back door and into her back yard. He blinked and stared at the spacious yard, which was lined by a white picket fence that stretched around the entire house. Birds chirped merrily in the trees, and well-watered flowers bloomed in patches. It was an entirely unpleasant atmosphere; Monkey Fist preferred Amy's laboratory, even if it lacked the musty charm of his own haunts.

Amy was kneeling in the yard ahead of him. She stood up and took a few steps backward as Monkey Fist stared. As she looked down at a controller in her hand, Monkey Fist realized what she was doing.

"No! Wait!"

He leaped forward to stop her, but it was too late. Amy flipped a red lever on the controller and began to cackle madly in a voice that Monkey Fist had not heard from her before. It was somewhat disturbing.

They both took another step back as the machine on the ground opened up. A small antenna and a ring-shaped piece of equipment extended themselves out, and the antenna fired a green beam through the ring. Monkey Fist stared, half in excitement and half in horror, as the beam shot from the device and began to open a portal in front of them.

"It's working!" yelled Amy.

"The portal is a bit close to us, isn't it?"

The portal began to widen. Monkey Fist could not see anything through it; to him, it just looked like a blue haze ringed by the same green light that was emanating from the beam that shot out of the device. As the portal grew larger, however, Monkey Fist heard a strange sound. A roar.

"It's alive! It's aliiiive!" cackled Amy.

The roaring grew louder, closer, and Monkey Fist drew back hesitantly. He felt a strong force drawing him towards the portal, as if he was being pulled. Amy herself seemed to be having trouble keeping herself upright.

Monkey Fist pulled her farther away from the portal. "Watch out, it has some kind of suction force." They both fell over from the effort of trying to resist the portal's pull, and he watched as the continuum device itself began to shift along the grass towards the portal it had just opened. The portal seemed to be faltering a little, and Monkey Fist realized that it was too close to the device itself, almost as if the device was not powerful enough to cast it out farther.

For just a moment, Monkey Fist thought he caught a glimpse of a scaly hand coming through the blue haze, grasping at air with its claws. Before he could tell what it was, however, the device drew close enough to the portal that it was actually lifted off the ground. It flew into the swirling center of the portal and disappeared; the portal itself faltered for a moment, and then the green ring surrounding it dematerialized, closing the space-time rift with an otherworldly echo that snapped through the air as it faded away.

Monkey Fist got up from the ground, where he had fallen over in his attempt to drag Amy back from the portal. He dusted himself off and stared at where the device had been sitting in the grass.

"I don't think that was supposed to happen."

Amy looked stricken. She lay on the ground and mumbled something about Cuddlesaurus as Monkey Fist looked at the outlet on the outside of Amy's house, where she had plugged in the device. Perhaps it had not been given enough power? Perhaps the batteries were low? Monkey Fist had no idea. Another device with no instruction manual. What was it with these technological geniuses assuming everything just explained itself?

He picked Amy up and led her back into the house. Some of his monkey minions had gathered around the back door to watch the spectacle. He patted Amy awkwardly on the back as she sniffed. On the one hand, Monkey Fist had been interested in seeing just how impressive the creature was. On the other hand, he wondered if they had just narrowly avoided biting off more than they could chew.

No matter, thought Monkey Fist as evil visions began to swirl in his mind. He just might have some other tricks up his sleeve.

XX

* * *

**_Notes - _**_I decided to use "XX" as scene dividers. I saw one of Thomas Linquist's stories was using it and I liked how it looked, and he was cool with me nabbing it for myself. Hopefully it doesn't get wiped out like the dashes did, but we'll have to see. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!_


	13. Players

**Players**

XX

Justine turned in bed with a yawn and stretched her back, looking at the alarm clock. It was finally Friday. Normally Justine would be in a good mood about the coming weekend, but she was annoyed at the prospect of having to rebuild her robot. Hopefully Kim and Ron would make that monkey villain pay for stealing her robot. Her robot, as well as Brick's robot, she reminded herself.

Yesterday had been exhausting. Coming home from school to find her living room trashed and her work stolen was stressful enough, and then her parent's reaction to the mess when they got back from work had been strange to say the least. First they had asked her if she had been driving drunk – Justine had laughed out loud when Leona asked the question, and her mother had to admit it was far-fetched. When Justine told them about about Monkey Fist and why the villain had broken into the house, her parents' reactions had been hard to read.

Despite still being dead tired from the previous day, Justine managed to force herself out of her bed and walk over to the closet. For some reason, the closet door was already open – Justine hadn't noticed the night before. Normally she kept the closet door closed. Her work area in the garage was messy, but she liked to keep her room clean and organized. She looked inside the closet for an outfit to wear.

As Justine picked out her usual combo of a skirt and button-down shirt, something about the closet seemed off. She noticed that there was a mess beneath the hanging clothes, as if someone had been rummaging through her things. She certainly didn't remember doing it herself. She leaned down and looked through the mess. Something was missing.

Justine rushed to her phone and dialed Kim Possible's number. Apparently her robot and its blueprints were not the only things that Monkey Fist had stolen.

"Kim!"

"Hey Justine," said Kim on the other end of the line.

"Where are you?"

"Ron and I are on our way back to Middleton right now. We've been out all night, but no luck yet on finding Monkey Fist. All the possible hangouts Wade knew about were empty."

"Well, I have another problem."

Kim groaned. "Super. What's the sitch?"

"I just checked my closet, and I didn't notice it yesterday, but the Kinematic Continuum Disruptor was stolen."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "That can't be good. Wait, why would Monkey Fist want that? And how did he know about that in the first place?"

"I don't know," admitted Justine. "It was covered a little in the newspapers when we captured that dinosaur thing and then released it again in the science room, remember? Maybe Monkey Fist read about it somehow."

"Maybe," said Kim, sounding doubtful. "I dunno, something about all of this seems way wrong to me."

Justine heard Ron's voice come through from the other end of the line. "At least we'll know when Monkey Fist uses it! It can't be that hard to track a huge dinosaur."

Justine thought about the device, wondering if there was even any threat in it being stolen. The Continuum Disruptor had been sitting in her closet for a reason. "You know, Kim, I'm not sure if Monkey Fist would even be able to use it. The batteries were low, and I actually think that dinosaur thing stepped on it a little when Barkin accidentally let him out of the space-time rift that second time."

Kim sounded relieved. "No kidding? That's good news. We should still look for it though – is there any way to track it?"

"Actually, yes. It should emit a particular electronic signal that your tech helper -"

"Wade."

"-might be able to pick up. Put him through to me and I'll fill him in."

XX

Kim and Ron stepped out of the bushes and stared across the road at a quaint-looking house surrounded by a white-washed picket fence. The house was topped by a maroon roof, its windows lined with pink drapes. Kim thought it looked like the kind of house that one saw on the front of Christmas cards – the only thing that was missing was some snow.

"Wade was right as usual. This totally looks like DNAmy's house."

While they were returning from their search for Monkey Fist, Kim had continued to think about what was bothering her, and realized what it was. The person most likely to want the Kinematic Continuum Disruptor was DNAmy, in order to retrieve her lost dinosaur. There was no reason for Monkey Fist to choose to steal it unless he was somehow involved with her. After that, Kim realized that Ron had been right the other day when he thought he saw Monkey Fist driving around in a car in Middleton. The two of them had to be in cahoots.

"Maybe next time you'll believe me when I say I saw Monkey Fist driving around in a station wagon, huh KP?" Ron still hadn't finished gloating about how he had been proven right.

"Yes Ron, I was wrong, you were right. Can we get on with it now?"

Kim approached the house with her sidekick, not sure what they were going to do. This wasn't a lair, after all, it was DNAmy's house – Wade had even found it listed in the Middleton phone book - and they didn't exactly have any solid evidence that they could use to get Global Justice on the scene. Kim would take a look around and see if anything was amiss, and Wade would secretly scan for the Continuum Disruptor's signature using the Kimmunicator if Amy let them in the house, but other than that, Kim couldn't do much more than hope Amy revealed something.

Kim traipsed around the house's yard for a few moments and tried looking inside some windows while Ron sniffed at some flowers planted around the sides of the house. Kim was frustrated; she was used to breaking into lairs and doing what she pleased, but someone's home was a different matter. She had a feeling that she could get in trouble if she broke into DNAmy's house and snooped around without having anything to pin on her. How Amy was not in jail, Kim had no idea. She could have sworn Amy actually went to jail after the dinosaur fiasco, but perhaps she had been released. That, or she had friends in high places. Kim had noticed that being impervious to long-term jail time was an unfortunate trait most villains seemed to share.

After finding nothing of interest outside the house, Kim walked to the front door and rang the doorbell, which was styled to look like a tiny animal face. Something between a cat and a beaver. After a moment, a familiar woman clad in pink and sporting a messy black mop-top of hair opened the door. They were in luck; Amy was home.

"Hello, you two." Kim noticed that Amy's mood seemed unusually glum. She thought she even noticed the mad geneticist sniffling a few times. "What do you want?"

"What you've stolen, Amy. We know you're working with Monkey Fist, and we know you have the Kinematic Continuum Disruptor. We can track it down, too. Give it up and maybe you'll spend less time in jail!"

Kim knew it was a bluff, but it would have a lot more weight if Wade could pick up on the Disruptor's signal, and hopefully Amy would buy it. Amy did seem a little flighty, so perhaps she could be scared into confessing. Kim was surprised to find that the bluff worked – Amy nodded and motioned for them to come inside.

"You're right! You're right about everything."

"Oh yeah?" Ron pumped his fist. "KP, we're right about everything! Who rocks? We rock!"

Kim ignored him and followed the geneticist into her house. Amy disappeared into the kitchen for a moment – Kim tensed and wondered if she was going to try to make a break for it – but she returned with a plastic container filled with cookies.

"Chocolate chip? I always bake too much." Amy blew her nose into a handkerchief before she opened up the container and picked some cookies out, placing them on a plate. Kim, thoroughly disgusted, declined the offer.

"You bet I want some cookies!" Ron grabbed several and began to stuff them into his mouth.

"Amy, what's going on?" asked Kim. "You look sad."

"Oh Kim, you were right about the device, and about Monkey Fist! I thought we had something special, but it's all gone!"

"What's gone?"

"Me and my Montykins had such a wonderful relationship. He was so nice to me, and he was going to move in with me and make things permanent! His only demand was that we steal that weird little monkey robot from Justine. I thought we could steal the Continuum Disruptor as well, so I could get my Cuddlesaurus back.

"But it was all lies! Monkey Fist got what he wanted, and then he left with the robot and the Continuum Disruptor, without even a goodbye! He was just using me to get what he wanted, all along."

Amy blew into her handkerchief again with a particular juicy sound. This time, Ron looked like he was having second thoughts about eating the cookie that was hanging halfway from his mouth.

"Do you know where he might have gone?"

"I have no idea, honey. I'm sorry."

"What about the Transportulator? Does he have that?"

DNAmy looked confused. "The what?"

"The teleportation device."

"I don't know what you mean."

Kim pursed her lips. Amy appeared to be telling the truth. The thought of Monkey Fist and DNAmy in a relationship together was gorchy, but Kim could imagine someone like Monkey Fist taking advantage of Amy's romantic naiveté in order to achieve his own ends. Perhaps he had even meant to use Amy's skills as a geneticist to further his transformation into a monkey.

"Did Monkey Fist try to get you to turn him into a monkey?"

"Oh man," said Ron, "full monkey?"

"Of course he did, silly. Why do you think his hands and feet look like that?"

"Wait – you mean _you_ did that to him?"

"Oh yes. That's how our relationship began." Amy sniffed and looked a little upwards and to the left, as if she was about to slip into a dream. "I remember that wonderful day. I had just collected a special edition Otterfly and created my cat-snake hybrid monstrosity, when I heard the sound of a knock at the door..."

"Uh, anyway," interrupted Kim before things got out of hand, "I guess we'll be leaving now. But thanks for the info. If we find Monkey Fist, don't worry, he'll pay."

"Oh, just don't be too harsh," said Amy. "I know that deep down, he means well."

Kim dragged Ron out the door before she had to listen to anymore heinous tales of monkey love. She heard Amy sniffling as they closed the door behind them and left her yard.

"You think all that was for real" asked Ron as they walked down the street.

"She seemed like she was being honest."

"Where do you think Monkey Fist is now?"

"Not a clue."

Kim pulled out the Kimmunicator as Wade beeped her. "Hey Wade, what's up? Did you get a signal?"

"Nope. I don't know where the Continuum Disruptor is, but it's not in her house."

Kim sighed. Another dead end. At least the picture was becoming clearer, although Monkey Fist seemed to be working outside of his normal taste in evil schemes. Still, they had a prime suspect, and his most dangerous weapon – the reptilian creature that Kim and Justine had captured – was most likely trapped within a device that, according to Justine, was not functioning properly. Even if it did, releasing the creature would pretty much give them an immediate location on Monkey Fist. It could be they had no other options but to wait until another lead showed up. Kim hated waiting.

XX

Amy walked down the steps to the laboratory beneath her house, dabbing her nose with the handkerchief. Monkey Fist sat in a chair in the control platform in the middle of her lab, his monkey minions gathered around him. He clapped at the sight of Amy coming down the stairs.

"An excellent acting job, Amy. I heard it all on the intercom down here. I believe you completely fooled Kim Possible! She had no idea I was here, and she was standing right over my head!" Monkey Fist cackled with glee.

Amy smiled at her boyfriend. "Anything for my sweetie!"

Monkey Fist smiled. "I have to say, I didn't think you had it in you, Amy."

He had to admit that he was impressed by Amy's ability to scheme; perhaps she wasn't as scatterbrained as she came off at first glance. At least she could pull things together when it counted. Monkey Fist had realized that their shoddy invasion of Justine's home would easily tip off Kim Possible, and he had convinced Amy that they needed to throw Kim off of their location somehow. At least until Monkey Fist could proceed with his plans. He wondered how much Amy was even acting - she was still a bit torn up about the loss of her Cuddlesaurus – but no matter. She had pulled it off.

"So what are we going to do to get Cuddlesaurus back now, Monty?"

Monkey Fist held back a scoff. Amy had made it clear that the Cuddlesaurus was a dangerous creature. The Continuum Disruptor's abject failure had probably been a blessing in disguise. As Monkey Fist hunched over the robot schematics he had stolen from Justine, he began to form a plan. He looked up at the transformation machine across the room that Amy used to create her living Cuddle Buddy creations. A creature would be helpful, but it had to be more controllable. Amy just needed a little persuading.

XX

"Need any help?"

Brick watched as Justine fiddled with a group of wires that were jutting out of one of the unfinished limbs of her new robot. He had come to hang out with her after school had ended, and she was just starting to build a new robot with spare parts that littered the garage. While none of the pieces were finished or put together to make anything resembling the original robot that Monkey Fist had stolen, Brick was still amazed at the progress Justine could make with only a few hours.

"No, I'm fine" Justine tried to force the wires to fit into the tubular arm piece. "This needs a little finesse."

Brick nodded. He was beginning to feel like a third wheel, but apparently the work Justine was doing was too technical for him. At least that was what it sounded like.

"I'm going to go play some games with Ron later this evening. He's over at Kim's house. Want to come?"

Justine wiped a hand on her forehead, smearing some grease on herself in the process. "I'm sorry Brick, but I'm going to have to spend a lot of time rebuilding this thing now that we have less than a week until our turn in the Robot Rumble."

"Sure."

"So Kim and Ron are back in Middleton now? Did they say anything about Amy?"

"Yeah, they checked it out, but it didn't go anywhere. The Kinematic whatchamacallit is still missing. They think Monkey Dude has it, wherever he is."

Justine seemed to be struggling with a pair of pieces that she was trying to screw together. Brick made a move like he was offering to help her, but she absentmindedly shooed him away. She was completely absorbed in building the robot. Brick thought it was going to be fun to help, but he was becoming a little bored. It was nice to watch Justine work at first, but Brick would have liked to do something besides sit on the garage floor.

Coming to Justine's house had been awkward as well. Her parents had been home early for some reason, and when they answered the door, they seemed to be staring daggers at Brick. He considered apologizing for accidentally letting Monkey Fist know where they lived, but he didn't have the nerve to say anything. He had always gotten that vague impression that Justine's parents did not approve of him, and he wondered if they had a grudge against him now.

"Hey Justine," said Brick. "I think I'm just gonna go over to Kim's house now." He decided there was no point in staying any longer.

"Alright honey," said Justine. She leaned over to kiss Brick on the cheek, but almost missed from the lack of attention she was paying. "Have fun."

Brick began to lift up the garage door to leave so that he could avoid going through the house and feeling guilty around Justine's parents again. Before he put it back down, Justine called out to him from the garage. "Hey Brick?"

"Yeah?"

"Try to study more this weekend, okay? Remember, we have a physics test on Monday, I want you to do well on it."

"Gotcha."

Brick lowered the garage door back down and began to take a walk towards Kim's house. He was surprised that Kim and Ron would want to do anything after traveling around the world since last afternoon in an attempt to find Monkey Fist. They had skipped school that day, and were probably tired. If he had to guess, Ron was the one who wanted to play games and hang out, and Kim was humoring her best friend.

XX

"Hi Kim's dad."

It was obvious that the man who answered the door was Kim's father, but Brick also vaguely recognized him from past memories.

"Hello, Brick! Please, call me Mr. Possible." James let him through the door into the entryway of the Possible house. "Or you could call me Mr. Dr. P, as Ronald likes to do, but it could be that he has - what do you teens call it - 'dibs' on that nickname." James chuckled.

"I'll just call you Mr. Possible then. It's nice to meet you. Again, I guess."

"Ah, that's right. I remember you hanging out here a few times when you were a lot younger. You were quite a bit smaller back then. Although you were still bigger than a lot of the other kids. Didn't you go to one of Kim's birthday parties?"

"Yeah. It was a pretty rocking party!" Brick noticed Kim's father looking at him strangely. "Uh, for a kid's birthday party, I mean."

"I see. So how come we haven't seen you around since then?"

Brick thought about Mr. Possible's question. Now that he had brought it up, Brick had to ask himself the same thing. "I guess I just kind of made different friends since then. Once you get into high school, people kind of go into their own groups, you know? Kim and Ron were always best friends with each other, but I ended up making friends with a lot of the athletes since I am – uh, was – on the football team."

James nodded, and was about to respond when a shout from the living room interrupted him. "Hey, Brick! In here man, we got _Zombie Mayhem_ and popcorn!" Kim's father patted him on the back as Brick took his leave to go to the living room. He passed Kim's mother, who gave him a nod and a smile.

"I hope you don't mean the horrible third installment?" Brick shouted back at Ron.

"Um, _negative_? I mean the badical second game in the series."

Brick found Ron sitting on the floor, playing the game with one of Kim's little brothers. Both of whom were sitting cross-legged in front of the television at a distance that looked like it had to be painful on the eyes.

"One of us will be out in just a minute," said Ron. "Then you can take over."

"Hey Kim's classmate!" Jim and Tim said simultaneously.

Brick smiled. "Hey little guys, what's up?"

"Not much," said Jim.

"Just kicking Ron's butt in Zombie Mayhem," added Tim. "He's terrible at it."

Ron threw his hands up in the air as his character was eaten again. "Come on, I'm right here!"

Brick sat on the couch next to Kim, who was half-watching the game. She looked like she was in a good mood, albeit tired. "I take it Ron was the one who wanted to play games all evening?" Brick asked her.

"Exactly," laughed Kim. "It's alright though, we've got the whole weekend to rest a bit. And Friday is all about hanging out with people you like, right?"

"That's true," said Brick. "So I take it you're not expecting to get any leads on Monkey Fist soon, huh?"

"Probably not," Kim said with a frown. "He's being sneakier than usual."

In some ways, Kim reminded Brick of Justine, the way she could become annoyed if she wasn't solving a problem immediately. "So where's Tara, anyways?"

Ron spoke up from the floor. "We didn't really get a chance to talk to her since we were out for so long. I think she's hanging out with Kevin Guberman tonight."

Brick was a bit surprised. Ron didn't seem to have any problem with it, but Brick thought that in the same situation, he might be a little jealous. He imagined Justine hanging out with another guy all day – perhaps Kim's cousin, Larry – and he felt himself grow a little annoyed just at the thought of it. He leaned over to Kim and whispered below the volume of the game.

"I bet you're happy about that, huh?"

"About what?"

Brick nodded at Ron. "Some time to yourself with Ron, where he's not distracted by his girlfriend all the time?"

Kim shrugged and whispered back to Brick. "I just went on a mission with him, it's no big. I still get to see him."

"Yeah, but chilling on Friday is different than missions."

"I don't think so. I don't know what you're talking about." Brick could swear that Kim was beginning to blush a little.

Ron got up from the floor as Jim and Tim raced out of the room, apparently tired of continually dominating the game. "Hey, are you guys talking about me?"

"No way."

Ron shrugged and went into the kitchen. "I'm gonna make some more popcorn, but go ahead and get ready Brick. It's _Zombie Mayhem_ time!"

Brick sat down and picked up one of the controllers. As Kim watched from the couch, he entered in a combination of keys on the screen, making his character appear to glow for a moment.

"Wait a minute," said Kim, "did you just enter in a cheat code?"

"Sssh, don't tell."

Kim rolled her eyes. "Do any of you guys _not_ cheat at this game?"

Brick started killing a few zombies on his own in order to warm up while Ron got their snacks ready. A buttery smell wafted into the room as Ron returned with a basket of popcorn and a couple of sodas balanced precariously in his arms. After Ron put the popcorn down on the floor between them, and before Brick could reach down for his first handful, a pink blur dove into the basket and sent kernels flying.

"Hey Rufus," said Brick.

"Mm!" Rufus waved, his cheeks sagging with popcorn, and ran back to the couch to sit next to Kim. Brick looked behind him and noticed that Kim appeared to be falling asleep. It was still early in the evening, but apparently she did not share Ron's boundless enthusiasm for gaming.

"Hey Brick," said Ron in a low voice. "Look, I'm sorry if I kinda elbowed you out of coming along with me and Kim to look at Monkey Fist's lairs. To tell you the truth, I was guess I was a little bit jealous when you went on that mission to Greece with Kim."

Brick was intrigued. "For real?"

"Yeah. I mean, not cause I like her like that," laughed Ron nervously, "but just because I'm used to having her back all the time, you know? I guess I was really busy with Tara and I kind of forgot about that, and I was surprised when you went along with her on a mission instead. So I wanted to go on this last mission alone with Kim."

"Yeah, I see what you mean."

"So we're cool?"

"Yeah, it's all good man. Don't worry about it!"

Brick fought zombies with Ron as the evening wore on, the volume turned down low so as not to wake up Kim from her nap. The house grew quiet, other than the occasional crash from upstairs that Brick assumed was coming from the twins. He glanced at Ron, who was absorbed in zombie killing, and wondered if the goofy teen was really just jealous at missing a mission with Kim, or if it was something more. As his character died yet again, Brick also wondered if he would ever beat Ron at _Zombie Mayhem. _Even with cheat codes turned on.

XX

Larry listened carefully for any sound outside of his bedroom door. After deciding that his mother was nowhere nearby, he picked up his phone and dialed a number. Larry's Friday night had been spent quite pleasantly, playing a little _Everlot_ and posting on some fan fiction forums, and he had done some more work on the robot that he and Bonnie would be entering to compete in the Robot Rumble. However, Larry had some other plans for the weekend as well. After a few rings, the line was picked up on the other end.

"Hello, Bonnie?"

"Yes. Who is this?"

"It's Larry."

"Oh... you. Hi Larry. How's that robot going?"

"Very well, very well." Larry sniffed and thought about how to proceed. "My friends and I are going to be meeting this weekend to play a role playing game. It's called _Crypts and Creatures_. I don't know if you've heard of it, but it's quite an exciting experience for -"

"Fine fine. Why are you telling me this stuff?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to come along and play with us."

Larry had to hold the receiver farther from his ear to avoid the painful burst of laughter.

"Ahahahaha! Why in the world would I do that? I have a manicure scheduled. Nails don't cut themselves, Larry! Professionals cut them."

Larry found Bonnie's statement confusing. His mother cut his fingernails – she was afraid that he might hurt himself with the clipper – but that was besides the point. Larry was not ready to give up just yet.

"Look Bonnie, I'm doing you a favor by building this robot. You might find that you like the game."

"I might also find out that I can see into the future and use it to help Kim Possible with her freak fighting, but let's face it Larry – that's not likely. Besides, we both know you're not just doing this for charity. You want to win the Robot Rumble just as much as I do. For different reasons, maybe."

Larry grumbled. Bonnie was right; he did want to win the contest. Larry did not have the introspective ability to sort through the tangled web that was his innermost motivations, but he knew that he wanted to defeat Justine, at least. His feelings towards the physics whiz were complex. He admired her talents, perhaps even feared her, and something about her haughty indifference excited him. Perhaps beating her would impress her; Larry wasn't sure, but he knew he wanted to find out.

And yet, he suddenly found himself hanging out with the person who, according to Kim's many rants, was the self-styled Queen of Middleton High School. A girl like Bonnie, giving Larry attention? It wasn't something that happened every day. Much like Justine's attitude, Bonnie's haughtiness also excited Larry. His mind was overloading with confused thoughts brought on by his sudden life changes. Larry thought about his situation with a smile. _If I was in _Everlot_, my charisma would be easily be in the high teens._

"Are you still there?" asked Bonnie. "I can hear you breathing through your nose."

"Yes, I am." Larry decided to lay down the hammer. A warhammer, perhaps. Larry chuckled at his cleverness. "Bonnie, if you want me to help you build this robot, you're going to join me at the Comics shop this weekend."

"Rrrrgh!" Larry heard something that sounded distinctly like plastic being crushed on the other end of the line. "Alright Larry, if you're going to play that game, fine."

"I am going to play that game. With you, at the shop!"

"Whatever."

A loud click pierced Larry's ear as Bonnie hung up the phone. Larry leaned back in his desk chair with an air of satisfaction. He was calling the shots. He couldn't wait to see everyone's expressions at the Comic shop when he came in with a girl like Bonnie escorting him. Eat your heart out, Charlotte!


	14. Parents

**Parents**

XX

Monkey Fist decided enough was enough.

Amy had been given a suitable period of mourning for her freakish cuddle creature, at least Monkey Fist thought so, and he was tired of hearing about it. Hadn't Amy already mourned enough when it disappeared the first time? After all, now that it had been sucked into a space time rift yet again, mere seconds before being released, Amy should be getting used to it, shouldn't she?

"There there, Amy." Monkey Fist patted his partner in evil on the back as they sat on her couch. "Things will work out alright."

"Oh Monty, how?" asked Amy. She dabbed at her eyes with the same handkerchief that she had been using to blow her nose. That had to be unsanitary, Monkey Fist thought. "Poor Cuddlesaurus just keeps getting taken away from me by that Flanner girl!"

"Technically, my best guess is that this time it was taken away by some kind of battery problem."

Amy broke into fresh sobs. Consoling others was not one of Monkey Fist's areas of expertise. He was exasperated with Amy. The geneticist had seemed like she was pulling herself together and getting over Cuddlesaurus when she lied to Kim and Ron, but now she was back to her moping. Amy needed a focus, a new obsession.

"See here, Amy, I believe it's time that we forget about the past and look into the future."

"What do you mean?"

"You have both created and lost your living Cuddle Buddies before, correct? So you can create a new one, even better than Cuddlesaurus!" Amy looked skeptical, but Monkey Fist could tell she was listening. "After all, you said yourself that you have a new and improved – what is it that you called it?"

"The Genetic Zipper."

"Yes, that infernal sphere contraption you have down there in your lab. You can make whatever creature you want. Why not create something a little more, shall we say, trainable?"

"You mean something something that can fetch and roll over?"

Monkey Fist got up and paced the living room. "I was thinking of something that could be trained to attack our foes and aid me in my quest to achieve ultimate monkey mastery. Not to mention it could take revenge on that Justine Flanner girl," he said in a blatant attempt to win Amy over. "But yes, fetch and roll over. That is the basic idea."

Amy looked intrigued. "Well, it's true that I can combine all kinds of genome fragments and end up with some very interesting results. Genetic resequencing is such a blast, Monty! It's just like playing with toy blocks as a kid, except you're playing God instead of building a new house for Plastic Polly to have tea parties!"

"Hmm, yes," said Monkey Fist. "That sounds fascinating. Amy, have you thought about creating some kind of new species of monkey? Perhaps a gigantic one, with larger claws?"

Amy shook her head. "For the last time, no. I think we have enough monkeys in this house already, Monty. It's all I can do to keep them from soiling my carpet."

She threw a glare at one of Monkey Fist's minions, which was idly chewing on a banana as it sat on her coffee table. The monkey gave her what appeared to be some kind of obscene monkey gesture. "Still, maybe you're right," she said. "It would be fun to think of a new cutie creation. Another little baby for me to play with! I guess that would make you its daddy, wouldn't it, sweetums?"

Monkey Fist laughed nervously and avoided Amy's question. "Do you still have the DNA that you used to create Cuddlesaurus?"

"Oh yes, it's on ice downstairs."

"You should include that in the mix," said Monkey Fist. He wanted a more controllable creature than what Cuddlesaurus had been, judging by Amy's description, but size and ferocity couldn't hurt.

Monkey Fist watched as Amy giggled and descended the stairs to her laboratory in order to look into her options. It was amazing how quickly she was already beginning to forget about Cuddlesaurus after Monkey Fist had suggested the prospect of making a new genetic hybrid. She seemed so prone to random fixations. Monkey Fist found it hard to relate; he did not fall prey to obsessions and flights of fancy. He spent all his time on his wholly satisfying and legitimate interest in all things simian.

No matter; Amy seemed to enjoy having pets, and as long as Monkey Fist could guide her fixation on a new pet in a direction that proved useful, Amy's obsessive personality would work in his favor. As long as she didn't find a new obsession.

XX

Bonnie stared in disgust at the sign that hung over the front of the shop. _Comics_.

She had no interest in reading comics. From what she could tell, they were stories filled with pages of ridiculous looking characters in outfits that no one would ever wear, whose bodies often bore no resemblance to those of real people. She preferred reading fashion magazines. Still, she was forced to spend time in the comics shop this weekend, despite wanting to be almost anywhere else. Thanks to Larry.

"Enter, milady," said Larry as he held open the door for her. "It's excellent that you had the free time to come and play with us. I think you'll find it quite interesting!"

Bonnie rolled her eyes in response to Larry's comment. As if she had been given a choice. It was true that she had no immediate plans this afternoon – Tara had been hard to get a hold of lately – but she could always hang out with Hope or Marcella or a suitable jock and go to the mall. Anything but stay at home and deal with her sisters. A comic shop, however, was not what she had in mind in terms of avoiding her family.

Inside the store, Bonnie noticed the same group of people who had been there the first time she visited, trying to find someone to team up with her for the Robot Rumble. Like last time, they were gathered around a card table in the back of the store. Larry walked over to the table and beckoned for Bonnie to follow him.

"Everyone, this is Bonnie, my partner in the Robot Rumble. She's my cousin's worst enemy!"

"Hi Bonnie," said Ned.

Bonnie sighed and began to shake people's hands. She already had the displeasure of knowing Ned from Bueno Nacho, and she had been forced to meet most of the people here last time she was in the shop. "Hello, Ned."

"Not Ned. Here, I am known as Varkon of Cerulea!"

"Um, whatever."

Bonnie sat down at the table and looked at the game they were playing. "I guess one of you is going to have to explain how this _game_ of yours works to me."

"You mean you've never played it before?" asked Charlotte. "Um, Larry, I thought we all agreed that we wouldn't be inviting newbies to our games?" Bonnie wasn't sure what the word _newbie_ meant, but she felt a strong urge to hiss at Charlotte.

"Not now, Charlotte!" Larry sat down next to Bonnie after pulling a rule book from behind the store's register area. "Bonnie, we're playing _Crypts and Creatures_. Essentially, you choose the role of a character in the game, and you go on quests to find hidden treasure and defeat powerful monsters. I have to warn you, Bonnie," said Larry with a gesture to his friends at the table, "sometimes we can get a little rowdy when we're playing this on weekends!"

The other players laughed along with Larry at what Bonnie could only assume was an inside joke. Several snorts punctuated the laughter. "Sometimes we even break out the energy drinks," said Larry. "Oh man, let me tell you, it's a laugh riot after that!"

Bonnie crossed one of her legs over the other and leaned back in her chair as she tapped her fingernails on her knee. She was waiting for the game to get going so she could get the afternoon over with. "So how do I choose what character to play?" she asked.

"It's really up to you. There are a few character creation rules, but you could be a warrior, a thief, a noblewoman, a wizard..."

Bonnie stopped him with a raised hand. "Wait a minute, what did you say?"

"A warrior, a thief..."

"No, you said noblewoman. Could I be a queen?"

The rest of the table shifted uncomfortably as Larry considered her question. "Well, yes, but the spirit of the game is to have a certain equality among the members of -"

"I'm going to be a queen."

Charlotte raised a finger in objection. "Um, I'd like to remind you guys that my character is in fact a minor noblewoman herself. I think maybe there's a conflict of-"

"I'm a queen." Bonnie's green eyes twinkled maliciously. "That means I get to demote you. You're, like, I don't know, a peasant now."

"Let's be nice and play along with our guest," said Larry, stemming Charlotte's next comment. He leaned over to Bonnie with a conspiratorial whisper. "You'll find that I'm sort of the alpha dog here."

"Is that right?" asked Bonnie, intrigued.

She smirked at the sound of Charlotte grumbling while the game began. Saturday afternoons were better spent at the mall, and she couldn't believe that Larry had pulled one over on her by getting her to play such a silly game, but perhaps it wouldn't be that bad. She looked over the character creation rule sheet and wondered what she should name herself. Perhaps Queen Bonnie of Rockwallia. It did have a nice ring to it.

XX

Brick lay in bed, flipping channels on his television. He had just finished some homework and he was now spending an unusually lazy Saturday afternoon, looking for something to pass the time. He would have liked to watch a repeat of _Murderbots_, but unfortunately it did not seem to be the right time in the evening to catch one on television. Brick stopped flipping channels at the sound of loud footsteps coming up the stairway outside his room. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

His father poked his head inside. "Hey. What's going on?"

"Not much, just watching some TV."

Mason entered the room. Brick noticed that his father was dressed in his snappy suit and tie; he had not seen his father wearing those in a while. "Oh yeah, you about to go to that parent teacher thing?"

"That's right. I figure I'd better find out what kinda trouble you've been getting into at school lately," said Mason with a laugh. "By the way, Brick - I went out to look for a job yesterday."

Brick smiled. "Seriously?"

"Yep. I suppose it's time for me to shape up a bit. I didn't find anything yet, but I'm getting the ball rolling now, you know?"

"Yeah! That's great." Brick put down the remote and sat up in bed. "Look, pop, about the other day-"

"Hey, don't worry about it," said Mason, knowing what Brick was referring to.

"No, I shouldn't have said what I said." Brick rubbed the back of his neck nervously, trying to think of how to articulate his thoughts. "It's not that I don't want to be like you, dad. I mean, you're one of the coolest guys I know. And I think you raised me well. You've always been there for me when I had stuff I needed to talk about, and you've taught me a lot about how to treat other people.

"I guess it's just that sometimes you get so down on yourself, and it's like you give up or something. Like you keep letting stuff that happened to you hold you back, and I hate seeing that. I didn't want to let things hold me back like that. Sometimes I feel like I'm being made into somebody I don't want to be by people around me, by what my life has been like already, and I wanted to get away from that."

Mason nodded. "I know what you mean, and I don't blame you. I don't want you to have my attitude either, Brick. I want you to have more opportunities than I did. I think you can do anything you set your mind to. I guess for a long time I've been kind of thinking about myself too much, and not enough about how that affects you. But I want you to be happy."

Brick got up from the bed. "You don't have to worry about that, pop. I'm happy most of the time. My life is pretty good. Maybe if I had a car," - Mason grinned at his son's cheekiness - "but I have everything I need."

He pulled his father into a hug. Mason embraced his son and felt a surge of emotions. Gratitude for being so lucky as to have a son like Brick. Regret that he had made so many mistakes in the past, that he had let himself fall into apathy and self-pity instead of thinking about how that affected his son.

"I'm gonna get a job, Brick. I want you to have options when you get out of high school. I don't want you to end up like I did and have nothing to show for it."

"Hey, come on pop," said Brick. "You got me, didn't you?"

Mason patted his son on the back as he broke the hug. "Right again. You're too clever for your own good, Brick. I can see why that Justine girl likes you," he teased.

"You don't have to worry about me, dad. Things are going to work out. And like I said, I have everything I need in my life. You've supported me just fine." Brick pointed at his father's watch. "You're gonna be late to that conference, aren't you?"

Mason checked the watch. "Yeah, I guess I'd better get a move on." He left the room, and was about to walk back down the stairs when he yelled back. "Hey Brick."

"Yeah?"

"What do you say I pick up some Bueno Nacho on the way back from this thing, and we can watch a movie together later?"

"Sounds good."

Brick listened to his father's steps as they grew fainter and finally stopped, punctuated by the front door closing. He was glad that his father had come upstairs to talk to him; Brick had felt guilty about what he had said earlier, and he had finally gotten the chance to make up for it. He always enjoyed his father's company when Mason was not absorbed in his own problems, and he was looking forward to spending the evening with him. As long as Mr. Barkin didn't have anything horrible to tell his father beforehand.

XX

Justine wiped sweat from her brow as she welded a piece of sheet metal onto her robot. She had made good progress, but with less than a week until the Robot Rumble, Justine had no idea how she could get it up and running effectively. All she knew was that she could not let Bonnie and Larry win the contest. Losing was not an option.

She turned at the sound of the inner garage door opening to find her parents walking in, dressed up as if they were going out. Her father pulled a pair of car keys from his pocket.

"Where are you guys going?"

"What do you mean?" her mother said. "We have to go to the parent teacher event at your school, remember?"

Justine had not remembered. She put down the welding torch and lifted her goggles. "That's tonight?"

"Yes, dear. We'll be back in a little while."

Her parents got into the car and pulled out of their side of the garage into the early evening. As the garage door closed, Justine realized that she hadn't told them about her second detention. Her second detention ever, to be exact. She wondered what exactly Mr. Barkin was going to say to them.

XX

Mason took a look at the refreshments table that had been set up in the school lunch room. There were several kinds of snacks set up on the table, but most of them reminded Mason of some kind of gray goo. Much like the lunch food that he had eaten while he was in school. Some things never changed, Mason supposed. Perhaps the school lunch lady had prepared the refreshments for this event.

Several other tables set up for the parent teacher event displayed pamphlets of information about school programs and lesson plans. Some of the pamphlets detailed new safety measures designed to minimize the threat of sudden dinosaur attacks. Mason noticed a few older pamphlets on the table that he had seen before – perhaps Brick had brought them back from school – about what to do in the event of students being held hostage on a camping trip by mutated amphibians. Mason wondered when someone would ever need to plan for that.

The event seemed to be a kind of meet and greet deal, after which Mason assumed that the teachers would meet with parents in attendance and go into more detail about individual student performances. A podium had been set up at the front of the lunch room, behind which a white projector screen had been pulled down, which displayed the message 'Welcome, Parents' in harsh red and blue lettering.

"Attention, parents!"

Mason watched the front of the lunch room and saw Brick's teacher and former coach, Steve Barkin, clearing his throat as he stepped up to the podium.

"I'd like to thank you all for attending this event. As we all know, our students are our future," - Barkin looked like he was pained to say it - "and, as parents, it is your job to whip them into shape and send them screaming into that future, whether they like it or not!"

Barkin went on a little longer, after which he began to play a slide show of various school functions on the slide projection screen. Mason quickly tuned it out – it was uninteresting boilerplate, and he did not think this portion of the event was too important compared to hearing about how his son was doing in particular. Of course, Brick was fairly open with Mason about school, but Mason wanted to be involved in his son's life.

He noticed a familiar looking woman with bright red hair nearby, standing beside her husband. Mason had seen her once before, and based on the striking similarity to her daughter, he knew it was Anne Possible. He dropped the finger food that he had been trying to eat into the trash, deciding it was not appetizing, and walked over to say hello.

"Hey, Anne and James, right? Remember me?"

"Oh yes," Anne smiled. "Brick's father?"

James Possible shook Mason's hand. "Nice to see you again. It was a pleasure to have Brick over the other day, he's a very well-mannered young man. I guess he's friends with Kim and Ron now?"

"Looks like it," said Mason. "I hope he's not eating you out of house and home?"

"Oh no, don't worry. We have Ron Stoppable over every day, we've learned how to stock up on groceries so we don't run out."

Mason laughed. "I know how that goes." He noticed that Barkin had finished the general presentation and was making the rounds in the crowded lunch room, greeting parents as he went.

"Is he the only teacher here?" he asked.

Anne looked around. "I don't see anyone else. I wonder how long this event is supposed to last?"

Steve Barkin eventually reached Mason and the Possibles, giving them a curt nod in greeting. "Hello there. Welcome to the Middleton Parental Involvement Extravaganza." He looked at Anne and James Possible briefly. "Kim is getting straight A's as always, there isn't much more to say. It would be nice if she could attend class more often, but it doesn't seem to make a difference in her grades."

"Oh." James looked surprised. "That's it?"

"Pretty much," nodded Barkin. "You could wait for a more involved one-on-one session, but we're having a teacher shortage, and I am handling all sessions. This event may last for days."

James shrugged. "That's a shame. Alright honey, looks like it's time to go home!" Anne was led from the lunch room by her husband before she could object.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Flagg," said Barkin as he shook Mason's hand. "I have to tell you, your son has been an interesting student lately."

"Oh yeah? Is that good?"

"Yes, I believe so. His attention in class is going up, and he's doing better on his homework – I think he's taking more of an interest in his studies. It could be because he's associating with a different crowd nowadays. Kim Possible and Justine Flanner. And he's around Ron Stoppable more as well, but fortunately that has had no negative effect on his academic performance."

Mason nodded. It was good to hear that his son was making a positive impression.

"I have to say, I was surprised that he quit the football team."

"Yeah," nodded Mason. "I can't pretend I wasn't surprised either. I think he's just having a little trouble figuring out what he wants, is all."

Barkin nodded. "Well, it's a shame. He was a good quarterback. We have a new one now, but he doesn't really compare to Brick. Hopefully the team is going to pull through without him." Barkin noticed another pair of parents nearby. "Ah, if you'll excuse me Mr. Flagg, I wanted to make sure some people were going to stick around so I could speak to them more privately."

Mason shook Barkin's hand again as he left. He thought he heard Barkin refer to the couple he was speaking to as Mr. And Mrs. Flanner; Mason wondered why he would need to talk to them. From what Brick had said, Justine was an excellent student.

XX

Justine sat alone at her dinner table, eating a microwaved TV dinner that she had prepared for herself. It was late, but she had been absorbed in her work on the robot in the garage, and eventually she had been annoyed enough at the slow progress that she decided to take a dinner break.

Justine began to wonder when her parents were going to get home when, almost in answer to her thoughts, the still-broken living room window was crisscrossed by beams of light from a car entering the driveway. The beams illuminated the dark living room, which Justine could see through the kitchen door. The living room window had been covered by a tarp which shifted in the evening breeze – her parents had been too busy to look into hiring a repairman yet. Mottled shadows, born from the car's beams, crisscrossed the room's walls.

The sound of the front door opening reached Justine as she finished her meal. Her parents appeared in the kitchen door. Her mother, in particular, looked displeased.

"Justine."

"Yes, mother?"

"You had a second detention? Why didn't you tell us about this?"

Justine placed her fork and knife down. She had been waiting for their reaction to that. Why she hadn't told them already, she wasn't sure – she knew she had made it worse for herself, but she had just been nervous. "I guess it slipped my mind," she said.

"And for fighting with some girl over that Brick boy? What are we, trailer trash?"

Justine briefly considered making a comment about the gaping hole in the living room wall, along with the tarp-covered window, but decided she did not feel like digging herself a bigger hole.

"Sorry, mom."

"I'm sorry too. But I don't think sorry is enough. We're grounding you – Mr. Barkin said your grades were beginning to slip, too. You need to focus less on this robot nonsense and your boyfriend, and more on your future, Justine."

"What? My future? I'm published in physics journals and you're worried about my future?"

Leona looked taken aback by Justine's tone. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but you've been scaring me with these changes lately. There's nothing more to talk about. And you're not going to that Robot Rumble contest, either."

"Come on! Dad?"

Ted Flanner shook his head. "I agree with your mother, Justine. We have to put out feet down on this one."

Her parents left the room, presumably to go to sleep, and Justine remained at the table. She sat still for several moments before she got up to throw her TV dinner away and put the silverware in the dishwasher. She considered calling her boyfriend, but it was late, and her parents would probably get even angrier if they heard her talking to him now. They hadn't explicitly told her to stop working on the robot, but she knew she couldn't do that either without incurring their anger. So much for a nice dinner break.


	15. Out of the Shell

**Out of the Shell**

XX

"Hey Brick!"

The sound of Bonnie Rockwaller's voice caught Brick's attention as he walked down the hallway. He turned to see Bonnie standing at her locker and beckoning to him. She was with a small group of cheerleaders and football players, most of whom Brick knew. One of them was Eddie Jackson. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if Eddie had a sarcastic comment about how well he was doing as the new quarterback, but Brick wanted to be polite and return Bonnie's greeting.

"Hey Bonnie, how's it going?"

"Pretty good. I'm not looking forward to this physics test though, how about you?"

"You can say that again," laughed Brick. "I'm probably going to do horrible compared to Justine."

"Aw, I'm sorry. Justine is a physics whiz," said Bonnie as her ex-boyfriend nodded in agreement. "I don't even know why they make her take that class. I hope she doesn't expect you to do as well as her, though. That would be a little unfair, wouldn't it?"

"I doubt it. She does push me a little hard though," laughed Brick. "I think she wants me to do well."

"That's good. I think you'll do alright on the test, Brick. But it's alright if you don't. I mean, it's not like it would be fair if Justine expected you to be some kind of genius just to go out with her."

"No, I don't think it's like that."

Brick did not want Bonnie to get the wrong impression about Justine. At the same time, however, Bonnie's comment made him begin to wonder. He felt as if a seed of doubt had been planted in his mind; did Justine expect him to be as smart as she was? Had she been pushing him to do better in school recently because she wanted him to be good enough to go out with her? Brick did not think he was nearly as intelligent as Justine, and he sometimes wondered why she was interested in him when he could barely hold a conversation with her. He doubted that he could ever reach her level of intelligence. Could she be happy with that?

Before he could think about it any further, Eddie Jackson spoke up from the small crowd that surrounded Brick and Bonnie. "Seems like you should have a lot more time to get yourself up to Justine's level, now that you quit the football team." His voice had a mocking edge to it. "I guess the team was too dumb for you?"

Before Brick could respond, Bonnie spoke up. "That's not fair, Eddie. Brick can do what he wants. Maybe he just wants to try new things, and he felt like he was being held down!"

Brick was surprised to hear his ex-girlfriend defending his decision. "Thanks, Bonnie."

Eddie's only response was to walk off in a huff. His absence left an opening in the crowd surrounding Bonnie's locker, and Brick noticed his girlfriend walking towards the group a little hesitantly. Brick assumed that Justine was not familiar with the athletes and cheerleaders surrounding him.

"Hey, Justine! Come on over!"

Justine smiled and joined the group. "Hi Brick."

"I didn't catch you this weekend, were you busy?"

"Um, I got grounded, actually."

Several people in the group stifled laughter, while a few others looked genuinely surprised. Justine did not seem like the type to get grounded.

"What? What happened?"

"My parents found out about the second detention I got, about how I was fighting with Bonnie, and also how my grades have been slipping a little."

Bonnie shook her head with what appeared to be sympathy. "That's too bad, Justine. Even if you started that fight with me, that's old news, right? And getting grounded over a detention, wow. Your parents must be strict. I guess they have really high standards for you, huh?"

"You could say that."

"Dating must be a little tough for you."

Justine felt annoyed at Bonnie's tone, but she wasn't sure why. She knew that Bonnie was mocking her somehow, trying to make her look bad, but she did not know how to respond to it. Justine realized that she should have waited until Bonnie was gone to talk about personal things. She wanted to tell Bonnie to mind her own business, but she was a little intimidated by the unfamiliar crowd around her, and she did not want to look bad in front of her boyfriend. Somehow, Bonnie being friendly was even worse than Bonnie being a viper.

"Brick," said Justine, turning to her boyfriend, "do you want to come to class a little early with me so we can get ready for the physics test?"

"Yeah, sure." Brick turned to the rest of the group as they left. "See you guys!"

Bonnie left the rest of the group at the lockers and followed the two of them to class. "I'll come in a little early too and review with you guys. I think that's a good idea, Justine."

They entered the classroom, where it looked like a number of students had gotten the same idea. The class was already at least half full. Students had shifted their desks into groups as they muttered to each other, hunched over open textbooks. The school semester was nearing its finish, and the physics test would be a large part of their final grade. Brick noticed that Kim, Ron, Tara, and Kevin Guberman were all hunched together in one group, studying their notes.

"Hey guys," he said as he pulled his desk together with Bonnie and Justine's desks.

Kim and Tara smiled as they looked up at Brick. Ron looked up for a moment and then back to his textbook with a groan. If Brick had to guess, Ron was experiencing the advanced stages of the same unpleasant knot that was developing in his own stomach.

After reviewing their notes for a little while, the students twitched in fright as Mr. Barkin strode purposefully into the classroom.

"It's TEST TIME, people!" Mr. Barkin slammed his armload of books and notes down on the table and began to distribute copies of the test while the students arranged their desks back into rows.

"Aw, come on Mr. B, just a few more minutes," begged Ron.

"That's a negatory, Stoppable! Notes away, eyes on your papers!"

Brick gulped and cracked his knuckles. Time to put the pedal to the metal.

XX

Monkey Fist hovered over his girlfriend's shoulder as she fiddled with a small machine that looked similar to a toaster.

"What is that contraption, Amy?"

"A Genomic Sequencer, dear."

Amy had spent the remainder of her weekend researching different combinations of genetic sequences that she could use for her new creature. Monkey Fist had to convince her a few more times – in vain - that monkey DNA clearly provided superior evolutionary benefits, but Amy had finally demanded to be left alone so she could work in peace.

She had even gone to the Smarty Mart at one point to pick up some animals, but Amy had shooed Monkey Fist away when he tried to sneak a peek at what she had purchased. He had gotten a brief glimpse of some kind of insect and a small dog in a cage, but other than that, he couldn't be sure. After locking herself up alone in the lab for a few hours – doing something with the Genomic Sequencer, Monkey Fist assumed – Amy had finally allowed him back downstairs after putting the animals into a storage area.

Amy had refused to tell him much about what kind of creature she was planning to make. Apparently, she wanted to surprise Monkey Fist with her creation. Now, however, was the moment that she would put her work to the test by creating a new monstrous pet for herself. Even though Amy was hard-headed about certain completely reasonable suggestions, Monkey Fist found himself excited to see what the creature would be.

"There!" said Amy as she loaded the last genetic card into the machine. Monkey Fist had no idea how it worked, but apparently Amy had to load some kind of samples into it that represented a creature's genetic code. She had already scanned the DNA from the creatures, and now the toaster-sized machine seemed to be feeding the information from the cards into her control platform in the middle of the laboratory. Amy began to type on one of the computer terminals as a strand of DNA revolved on one of the display screens.

"Where did you get all this equipment, anyway?" asked Monkey Fist.

"Some of it I created myself. Some of it I stole." Amy giggled. "Sometimes I can be a little naughty! I had to steal some things to make Cuddlesaurus."

"How did you avoid capture, if the end result of your thievery was smashing down buildings in Middleton?"

"Oh, I was caught," laughed Amy. "I had to do a little work for the Middleton Institute of Technology in order for them to drop their charges on stealing the Genomic Sequencer and the DNA for Cuddlesaurus."

"It was that easy?"

"Not exactly," said DNAmy. "There were some other charges, but that nice corporation Smarty Mart helped pay for some really nice lawyers, and I got off light. All I had to do was help them out a little with their pet selection. I gave them some interesting ideas for future product lines, you know."

Judging by the stories Amy told him about her past creations, Monkey Fist could imagine quite a bit.

"Anyways," said Amy, "that's when I decided to take a little break and move in with you! I needed a vacation after I lost Cuddlesaurus, and what better place to be than with my Monty Wonty!"

Monkey Fist nodded. Their relationship had been an on-again, off-again affair, starting when DNAmy had given him his simian hands and feet. At first, he had been fascinated by her scientific talents. Perhaps he still was, even though he found her personality increasingly intolerable most of the time.

Amy had been absent for a while when she was preoccupied by creating the Cuddlesaurus with Drakken, during which time Monkey Fist had enjoyed some time to himself. During her absence, Monkey Fist had been relieved that perhaps she had ditched him for Drakken, but his hopes were dashed by her return to his lair soon after her partnership with Drakken and Shego had gone south.

"By the way, I hope you weren't jealous about that whole Cuddlesaurus thing, Monty. I mean how I was working with Drakken. You knew it was just a professional relationship, right? Okay, maybe I flirted with him a little, he was kind of a charmer, but still – my heart belongs to you!"

"Of course," sighed Monkey Fist.

Amy finished her typing and punched a button on the keyboard authoritatively.

"Here goes, honey bunny!"

A rising electronic whine began to emanate from the large machine across the room – Amy had called it a Genetic Zipper – and some kind of disgusting turquoise liquid began to churn in a separate glass chamber connected to the machine. Amy wrung her hands in anticipation, and while Monkey Fist did not share her level of enthusiasm, he could not deny his excitement.

After a moment, the front of the spherical part of the machine cracked open. The machine's doors connected with interlocking metal pieces, which Monkey Fist assumed lent it the 'zipper' portion of its name. The doors pulled themselves apart. Monkey Fist thought it looked more like a toothy mouth than a zipper. Bright light poured out from the mouth, temporarily blinding the two spectators, and the doors finally came to a halt as the electronic whine died down.

Amy stepped towards the device. Monkey Fist followed her cautiously. He was expecting some kind of vicious brute to leap out, but he could not see anything in the bright light of the machine's interior. They reached the mouth of the sphere, and Amy pointed to the floor of the machine.

"There it is!"

Monkey Fist looked down at the object to which she was pointing.

"An egg?"

He had no idea what he was expecting, but 'anticlimactic' was the only word he could use to describe this.

"That's right, silly!"

Amy picked up the egg and brought it over to the control platform of her laboratory. She opened a drawer underneath one of the computer terminals, which looked like it was filled with pink blankets dotted with red hearts. As she placed the egg gently onto the blankets, Monkey Fist noticed it was beginning to twitch.

He drew closer to the egg and watched as a crack appeared on its mottled gray surface. The crack widened, spreading along the curve of the shell, and a tiny black object poked its way out. Monkey Fist realized that it was a hand. A very ugly hand, but a hand nonetheless.

"What is it?" asked Monkey Fist as the newborn creature emerged into the world, gasping for air.

Amy stared lovingly at her creation. "Something completely new."

The creature stretched out on the blanket as Amy removed the fragments of broken shell surrounding it. It stretched out its hands in a tiny yawn, and Monkey Fist noticed that leathery wings were beginning to dry out and spread from its back. The creature's face was not quite human, not quite animal, but it looked like its bite would be painful, even taking its size into account.

"How exactly are we going to bend our foes to our will with this tiny thing?"

Amy slapped Monkey Fist playfully on the arm. "It's not going to be tiny forever, sweetie. It needs time to grow up, to learn. You said we needed something trainable."

"How long will it take for this creature to grow up and do our bidding?"

"Oh," said Amy thoughtfully, "not long at all."

XX

June stood in the doorway of her house and glared at the tanned teen standing on the porch with one hand propped on her hip.

"Oh, it's you."

Bonnie nodded. "It's me."

Larry had called her earlier to come over to his house and check out the robot, and Bonnie had decided it was probably a good idea to make sure that Larry had actually built something and wasn't going to flake out on her a day before the contest.

"Larry is upstairs. Come on in."

Bonnie waited to enter the house, but Larry's mother seemed to block her way for several more moments until she reluctantly shifted aside. Bonnie smiled and flounced through the door, running upstairs before she would have to deal with the woman any longer.

"Oh Laaarry, I'm here!"

"In here," came a voice from an open door.

Bonnie stepped gingerly into the war zone that was Larry's room. The walls were lined with multiple bookcases, all of which seemed to be stuffed from end to end with various action figures, figurines, and model toys. There were few books to speak of. A desktop computer sat on top of a cluttered desk at the other end of the room, but to get there, Bonnie and Larry would have had to wade through a floor that looked like a post-apocalyptic landscape.

Metal bits and pieces were strewn everywhere – Bonnie wasn't even sure if Larry's floor was made of carpet or wood. A robot, not much smaller than the two teens themselves, stood near the center of Larry's room. Bonnie realized that the mess was part of Larry's work in creating the robot for the Robot Rumble. She knew nothing about robots, but it looked impressive to her.

Larry motioned to the robot. "There you are, Bonnie. As you can see, the Queen Bee is almost ready for deployment in the contest." Larry made it look as if saying the robot's name was a painful experience, but Bonnie had insisted on it. Better than some science fiction reference, she figured.

"Just as long as that thing takes down Justine's robot. You're sure Justine will actually be interested in you if you wipe the floor with her? How do you know she won't just get angry?"

"Justine has been interested in me for a while," said Larry. "I can tell. She respects my intellect, and if I can demonstrate my skills by defeating her in glorious battle, she'll be unable to resist. Girls like guys who have skills."

"If you say so," said Bonnie as she looked the shelves of one of Larry's bookcases. "I see you don't have many books."

Larry laughed and pointed to a few books scattered around the corners of the bookcase. "I don't read books, Bonnie. I read novelizations."

Bonnie wasn't sure what that meant. She picked up one of the toy figures that was standing on a shelf and gave it a haughty look. "What are these things, dork dolls?"

"Um, that's a negative," snorted Larry. "They're collectible models." He pointed at a group of the models that looked similar to each other. "That's my Ios collection. I'm fairly sure it's one of the larger ones in the Middleton Area. Senator Burnalus is supposed to have a purple cape, not the silver one it's wearing. The manufacturers must have been sleeping on the job on that one!" Larry laughed at what Bonnie assumed must have been some kind of joke, but she did not get it.

"What's playing on your computer there?" Bonnie pointed at the computer screen.

"That would be the game _Fortress_. Can I interest you in a a demonstration?" Larry cleared a path through his floor and managed to work his way over to the desk as Bonnie followed gingerly behind him.

"Whatever."

Larry pointed at the character on the screen. "That would be my in-game avatar. It's a role-playing game, so you can create your own character."

"You mean like in _Crypts and Creatures_?"

"Why yes," said Larry. He gave Bonnie an approving look. "I must say, Bonnie, your learning ability is only surpassed by your good looks."

Bonnie gaped at Larry. Did Kim's nerd cousin just hit on her? Not only that, but it was a halfway decent compliment as well. Larry's expression was downright creepy, but Bonnie was flattered enough that she decided to be charitable and resist the urge to slap him.

"Show me how to make a character," she said. "Can you make a queen?"

"You sure can," said Larry. "Here, the directions on the screen will help you, all you have to do is-"

"Ex_cuse_ me!"

Bonnie edged Larry out of the way before he could sit down, taking the desk chair instead. "I think I'll sit here, thanks." As she began to click on the screen, she noticed Larry hovering over her. "How about you go get me a drink and a snack, Larry? Something healthy, nothing that _you_ eat."

"Yes Bonnie." Larry slunk out of the room.

Kim's cousin was right; the directions for creating a new character were easy, and very similar to the game they had played at the comics shop the other day. Bonnie had not expected to enjoy playing with a bunch of dorks in a dimly lit room all Saturday afternoon, but the game had actually been almost fun. She wasn't about to go talking about it at cheerleading practice, but she almost wanted to play it again.

Bonnie wondered why Larry had invited her over. She had wanted to make sure his entry for the Robot Rumble looked like a competent creation, but Larry had barely said anything about the robot to her. Perhaps the nerd just wanted to have a beautiful girl over at his house. After all, if Justine was the usual target of Larry's flirtations, he was taking a step up, thought Bonnie.

Another question popped into her mind: why had she been so quick to come over to his house? Probably just because she wanted to get out of her own house. That was what made the most sense.

"Your drink and snack, Bonnie."

Larry, having returned from downstairs, placed a juice box and a plate of vegetables on the desk next to Bonnie. He peered at the computer screen. "Do you require any help with making your character?"

"No Larry. I'm taking care of it."

Bonnie looked at the next screen. According to the directions, she was now assigning Queen Bonnie of Rockwallia her 'stats'. Bonnie looked over the stats. Charisma? Why did they even bother to ask her? She added points until the number was maxed out.

XX

Justine lay in her bed and stared at the ceiling. She did not feel like reading or watching TV, and since she was grounded, she wasn't able to hang out with Brick. She thought about her parent's reaction to her second detention and wondered what she thought of it herself. Did she deserved to be punished? Was she slipping in her focus on the future?

Justine's parents – her mother in particular - had raised her to be a hard worker, to never accept less than perfection on anything she set out to do. Leona had taught Justine that life wasn't easy, that one had to stake out a place for oneself and earn the respect of others. Justine knew that her parents had not been born into wealth. They had worked hard to get where they were, and she admired both of them.

Even if, technically, Justine had already eclipsed the scale of her mother's achievements in the field of medicine with her own work in physics, she felt like she would never be completely out of her mother's shadow. Leona had given Justine a high standard to live up to. Justine wanted to impress her mother, to live up to her expectations. She always had, as long as she could remember.

And yet, things were beginning to change. Friendship, for Justine, had been a kind of tool until recently. She never really connected to people so much as she competed with them, tested herself against them, tried to best them. Brick Flagg was throwing a wrench in that conception of things. Many of the people she surrounded herself with admired her for her intelligence, but to Justine, it seemed like a sort of jealous admiration. She sensed that they wanted to look better by being close to her.

Brick admired her intelligence, but it did not seem selfish. It was simpler than that. There was perhaps some envy in the sense that Brick wanted to be more intelligent as well, but at the same time, he accepted her for who she was. He was never trying to compete. He just liked being around her. It was a new experience for Justine, and she was having a hard time accepting it for what it was.

"Hey Justine."

Justine sat up on her elbows and glanced at her door. Her mother was poking her head inside.

"Come in, mom."

Leona Flanner entered the room and sat down on the end of Justine's bed. "How are you?"

"Fine." Justine lay back against a pillow as she watched her mother collecting her thoughts. She girded herself for a lecture.

"You know we're not trying to be mean to you, right?" her mother asked.

"Yes."

"Ted and I are just worried about you. You've always been reliable, we could always count on you to work your hardest and be responsible, and now all of sudden you've gotten two detentions in a row, and you're in a relationship with this football player. And somehow all this led to someone breaking into our house and ransacking the living room and stealing from you. I realize it's not as if Brick did that himself, Justine, but it's still a little scary for the two of us.

"Now, I know, I shouldn't try to control who you're dating, and I've tried to understand it, Justine, but I just can't. I don't know what you see in him. He seems nice enough, but what do you get from him? How can he even relate to you, Justine?"

"It's not about what I get from him," said Justine. "I just like being around him."

"It seems like he's changing you."

"What makes you think I don't want to change?"

Leona paused. "Why do you want to change? Look at what you've done with your life already, Justine. There's no telling how successful you'll be when you grow up! I'm proud of you Justine, and I don't want to see you falter or get distracted by things."

Leona got up from the bed and paced around her daughter's room. She paused to look at some of the awards that lined Justine's bookshelf. "We want to be fair, Justine. You can't be getting detentions and getting in fights with people, so you're staying grounded. Maybe you can focus a little harder on your schoolwork and take a break from hanging out with Brick, and ask yourself if he's really a good influence."

Justine did not respond. She watched as her mother left the room and went back downstairs, and wondered how much her father agreed. Her mother had always been the stronger personality, taking a more active role in her daughter's life, so oftentimes Justine heard things from Leona instead of her father.

As much as Justine wanted to disagree with her mother, there was a part of her that responded to her mother's comments. She was changing, and she enjoyed Brick's company, the way he accepted her for who she was, but then a part of her wondered if her mother had a point. How much did she and Brick really have in common? Was Brick going to hold her back?

Justine was an overachiever – she did not think that could ever change. She had been working overtime to try to get the robot ready for the competition, and things had only been harder after it was stolen and she had to remake it. Her need to win the contest had already prevented her from spending time with Brick when he hung out with his friends on a couple of occasions. Perhaps their differences were too great. Justine did not know what to think. She felt like a rubber band, pulled taut in two directions, stretched to its limits.

The contest hung on her mind. Her parents had told her she was not allowed to go, but as Justine thought about it, she realized that she had to. She could not let herself be beaten by Bonnie Rockwaller and Kim's obnoxious cousin. She and Brick would beat them together. The robot in her garage still needed work, but her parents had to go to work themselves. Justine would get it finished tomorrow, before the Robot Rumble. Maybe she would leave school a little early to give herself some more time to work on it.

Either way, she would be going to the contest whether her parents liked it or not.


	16. A Rumble and a Fumble

**A Rumble and a Fumble**

XX

It was late in the afternoon, but there was still some light outside, and Brick felt exposed.

He stood in Justine's yard beneath a window that looked into her room, at least from what little he could make out. Justine had told him during school that day to come over to her house and get her attention from the window, in order to avoid letting her parents know he was there. Brick felt like a thief, sneaking around her property and trying not to make himself conspicuous. He knew she was grounded, and he felt a little nervous about going against her parents' wishes, but she had insisted.

Standing beneath Justine's window, Brick was reminded of a play he had been reading for English class. Maybe he wasn't a thief so much as a secret lover. He snickered in amusement as he carefully aimed a pebble and threw it against the second story window. _O Justine, Justine! Wherefore art thou Justine?_

Brick saw a shadow shifting against the light inside the room. A shape walked up to the window. It was Justine. She unlatched the window and pulled it up, leaning over the side as she looked down at her boyfriend.

"Hey Brick."

"What's up?" Brick looked around nervously and kept his voice low. "How come you had me sneak over here and throw rocks at your window? Aren't you still grounded?"

"Yes. But we're going to the Robot Rumble anyway."

"Aren't your folks gonna be mad?"

"I don't care," said Justine in a voice that was trying very hard to come off as indifferent. "They're not here yet though. I wanted you to come to the window just in case, but I think they're both working really late tonight. Either way, we're going, and they can deal with me when we get back, if they're here by then."

"You want me to come around to the garage then?"

"Yes. You'll need to help me get the robot into my car."

Brick walked around the house to the driveway and waited until, after a moment, the garage door began to rise. Justine stood inside. Brick picked up the robot on the garage floor and carried it towards Justine's car. He was surprised that she had finished the robot already; he had been expecting her to cancel the contest with there was so little time to remake what had been stolen by Monkey Fist.

Brick looked at the robot as he loaded it into the back of the car. It was almost Justine's size, although it did not seem to weigh as much as a normal human being. Brick was able to lift it fairly easily. It looked sort of like a cross between a human being and a monkey, although it had a large mouth that looked like it was designed for crushing things and hands that ended in mallets. Its metallic limbs, which were set into ball-joint sockets, definitely looked maneuverable, so perhaps Justine had paid attention to some of his advice.

He was disappointed that Justine had not let him work on the robot with her more, although she hadn't really been given a choice in the last couple of days while she was grounded. Despite his disappointment, Brick was excited to see how it would fare at the contest. He didn't have the heart to cancel on Justine, but he hoped she wasn't digging an even deeper hole for herself by sneaking out against her parent's will.

XX

Monkey Fist blocked another punch thrown at him as the burly henchmen closed in. The hallway was narrow enough that he did not have to defend against more than a few of them at a time, but their numbers kept increasing. Monkey Fist had not yet broken a sweat, but he was becoming more annoyed by the minute. Where were all these henchmen coming from, and why were they attacking him?

Another henchman tried to give him a vicious kick to the stomach, but Monkey Fist dodged the blow easily and let the man fall forward from his own momentum. He gave his foe's back an extra smack as he went past, sending the henchman sprawling to the floor. Street brawling moves against _Tai Sheng Pek Kwar_? Too easy.

"Stop!"

The henchmen abruptly backed away from Monkey Fist at the sound of the voice coming from down the hall. The mass of bodies parted, revealing Jack Hench. He adjusted his sleek business suit as he approached Monkey Fist.

"Why are your goons attacking me?" asked Monkey Fist. "Am I not a customer? The receptionist even told me to come down this hall!"

"Haha, sorry about that," Hench said in his most conciliatory tone. "Sometimes our security systems get a little overzealous." He laid a hand on Monkey Fist's back and gestured down the hall with the other. "Please, follow me."

Monkey Fist trailed behind the slick businessman as his henchmen disappeared into various circular doors in the hallway, like ants in a hive. Hench's office was at the end of the hall. The office was well-lit and decorated with tasteful potted plants, and a window spanning one wall of the office provided an impressive view. Monkey Fist preferred darker settings, but he had to admit that Hench's office gave the impression of someone with money to burn.

"So, how can I help you, Lord Monty Fiske?"

"Monkey Fist will do just fine."

"Very well."

"I'm looking for some henchmen," said Monkey Fist. "I have a project coming up that requires henchmen with a certain level of engineering skill. I saw that you have some special discounts on henchmen going on right now."

"We certainly do."

Jack Hench walked over to his desk and pulled some pamphlets from the drawers. He was surprised to see Monkey Fist interested in shopping at HenchCo – Hench's normal customers were people like Drakken or Dementor. From what he knew, the simian evildoer tended to use artifacts and ancient lore in achieving his goals, which was not HenchCo's area of expertise. Still, Hench was always happy to begin a relationship with a new customer.

"Here you are," he said as he handed the pamphlets to Monkey Fist. "We have our generic henchmen to offer, as always, but you can also choose to accessorize them with various features. Alpine skills, stealth training, various martial arts, accounting skills, cooking."

"Cooking?"

"You'd be surprised. Supervillains are generally far too busy to make their own meals, or they view it as beneath them. Which, of course, is a completely justified attitude," Hench added quickly. "They like the reassurance of having a live-in cook that supports their goals of world domination. Someone who won't judge them while they're trying to eat on the job."

"And what about henchmen with engineering or mechanical skills?"

"We have a particularly good special on them," said Hench as he pointed to one of the pamphlets. "Many of them had normal jobs that were outsourced to China and India. Their only alternative is to work for power-hungry overlords. More power-hungry than their previous corporate overlords, I mean."

"Of course."

"So, just to get the unpleasant little details out of the way," Hench said, "how are you planning to pay for this?"

Monkey Fist took a credit card out of his ninja robes and handed it to Hench.

"This belongs to Amy Hall," said Hench as he inspected the card.

"Is that a problem?"

Hench ran the credit card through a credit checking machine on his desk, which beeped positive.

"Not at all!"

Monkey Fist smiled as he took the card back and perused the pamphlets that Hench had given him. Amy's financial resources were coming in handy. And judging by the information he was looking at, Monkey Fist was getting exactly what he needed.

XX

Brick carried the robot through the entrance to the underground Robot Rumble staging area after Justine used her call sign to open the door. From the sound of it, there was already a party going inside. The two of them approached the center of the large chamber and saw that it was even more crowded than before. Brick recognized several familiar faces – their opponents for the evening, Bonnie and Larry, but also Kim and Ron, along with some others. He wondered if this was a popular match for some reason.

Justine led Brick to a roped off area outside of the crowd and had Brick place the robot inside the ropes. There was another robot placed within the area as well. It looked like the zone was designed to protect the contest entries from getting jostled too much by the audience. The match was not going to start yet, and people were still enjoying a little socializing and refreshments, so the robots had to wait before they could engage in their death match. A sign, taped to the velvet theater-style ropes that lined the rectangular area, read 'Robots only beyond this point.'

"Hey Brick!"

Kim and Ron walked over to Brick and his girlfriend as they finished setting their robot in place. Brick wondered if the other robot in the roped off rectangle was Bonnie and Larry's entry. Justine had told him that although sometimes there was more than one match in a Rumble, there would only be one match tonight. Theirs.

"Better get your munch on before the fight, dude," said Ron through a mouthful of something.

Judging by the smell, Brick decided that Ned had brought Bueno Nacho again. And, judging by several prone forms gasping around the refreshments cart, Ned had decided to add Diablo Sauce to everything and save people the trouble of doing it themselves.

"Is that your robot?" asked Ron as he pointed to the robot only zone.

Justine nodded.

"Badical. You guys ready for the match?"

"As ready as we'll ever be, I suppose."

"I didn't see you guys here last time," said Brick. "How come you came along this time?"

Kim smiled. "You guys and your robot! Duh. We had to see this contest. It looks like a lot of people want to see a match between a former quarterback and current cheerleader. Tara isn't really into this kind of thing, but Ron loves it, so he came along too."

"Hopefully it'll be cool," said Brick.

"Yeah. Actually, it was kind of a gamble coming here. Ron and I weren't exactly on friendly terms with the regulars the last time we attended a Robot Rumble. And I could have sworn Larry was banned for life. I guess everybody forgot!"

"Larry knows people, Kim," explained Ron. "He's got the connections!"

Brick noticed that Justine had left the conversation and was inspecting her robot inside the roped off area. Brick assumed she was giving it some last minute tweaks. As she worked, Brick noticed Larry separate from another group elsewhere in the crowd and approach Justine. Brick overheard him say something about looking forward to a good match with Justine, after which he launched into a conversation with her. Brick felt a familiar tinge of jealousy shoot through his veins. Larry seemed to chat up Justine every chance he got.

"Hate to break it to you Brick," said Kim, "but I can't take sides on this one. It's you versus my cousin Larry, so I'm staying neutral! Although, with Bonnie on Larry's side, it's tough." Kim looked a bit disturbed at the thought of her cousin and Bonnie on a team together.

"That's cool," Brick said distractedly. "Hey, excuse me for a second."

Brick walked over to the robot containment area where Justine was still fiddling with their contestant. "Hey Larry, mind if I talk to Justine for a bit?" he said, interrupting their conversation.

"Why, not at all, Brick." Larry nodded at their robot. "Interesting choice you've made there. We'll see how it works out in the contest."

"Yeah." Brick thought there was something condescending in Larry's tone, but he let it go. "I'm sure the robot's fine, Justine. Let's go mingle a bit."

"I suppose so," said Justine as she followed her boyfriend back into the crowd.

"So why are there so many people here?"

"It's an unusual contest, with you and Bonnie competing," said Justine. "I think it is, anyway. But there are always a lot of people depending on who is competing. Vivian Porter and I tend to be the biggest draw, and Larry might come in third. This is the first time I've competed in a while, too."

Brick stopped in his tracks at the sight of someone he did not expect to be in the crowd.

"Whoa. Steve?"

"Oh, hey man," said Steve Farley. "How's it going?"

"Not bad. Why are you here?"

Steve shrugged. "I like _Murderbots_, and I heard about this robot contest in Middleton so I thought I'd check it out. Plus I wanted to see how good the Mad Dog's ex-quarterback is at making killer robots."

"Well, it was mostly Justine," laughed Brick as he nodded to his girlfriend. It may have bothered him that he had not been able to help her build the robot as much as he wanted, but he was willing to give credit where credit was due. Justine herself seemed to be staring back at their robot inside the roped off zone again. Brick looked more closely and realized that, for some reason, she was actually staring at Larry's robot.

"Hope you do well then, Justine," said Steve.

"Hm?" Justine turned at the sound of her name. "Oh. Thanks."

Steve shifted uncomfortably as he turned his attention to Brick. "By the way, uh, maybe this is a little awkward to say, but I think it's cool that you two are going out. I mean, I know I acted like it was weird at first, but I guess it was just a bit surprising. You guys seem nice together though. I know you and Eddie are on the outs or something, but not everybody agrees with him on everything, you know."

Steve was making a habit out of surprising Brick. He had assumed that Steve, along with most of the other Middleton athletes, essentially agreed with Eddie's point of view on Brick and his relationship with Justine. Before Brick could think about it any further, however, a loud voice interrupted his thoughts as it traveled through the crowded subterranean room.

"Attention please!"

The chatter among the spectators gradually died down as they turned to the source of the voice. Brick saw Vivian's cyborg boyfriend, Oliver, standing on top of a soapbox. It sounded like his voice was amplified, as if he was speaking through a bullhorn, but he was not holding anything like a bullhorn. His voice must have some kind of amplification system in it, thought Brick. Just a little bit creepy.

"Tonight's competition, as you all know, will be between Bonnie Rockwaller and Larry Possible on one team, versus Brick Flagg and Justine Flanner on the other. Bonnie and Larry will be controlling the _Queen Bee_, which will engage in mortal combat with –" he looked at Justine. "What was the name of your robot?"

"Um, I guess we didn't have time to name it," said Justine.

"Okay, well, the _Queen Bee_ versus their robot. The match will be starting in just a few minutes, so I'd like to ask the contestants to prepare their robots and put them into the fighting pit. Please, everyone make way!"

Justine carried her robot out of its holding area. She was stronger than she looked; Brick wondered why she had made him carry the robot earlier if she was able to pick it up herself. Boyfriend duty, he supposed. Larry and Bonnie took their own robot, and the machines were carefully lowered into the pit via ropes and a ramp. Justine took out the remote control system for her own robot and piloted it into a corner of the pit, while Larry did the same to his own fighter as he stood at the other edge of the pit.

Brick stared at their robot's competition for the night. Larry and Bonnie's robot, the _Queen Bee_, was a little larger than their own, and looked sort of like a small refrigerator set on tank treads. It looked less flexible, however, and had fewer weapons. And it definitely did not look like a bee.

Larry's robot had a pair of arms that ended in grasping claws, but its main weapon seemed to be a mallet that was fixed on its back. Brick thought it looked much larger than the mallets on the hands of their own robot. The mallet on the _Queen Bee_ was fearsome, but Brick was not sure how it could strike anything when it was set on the robot's back. It looked like it would be unable to reach or strike anything, unless Larry was driving the robot backwards.

"Contestants, are you ready?" yelled Oliver.

The two teams nodded.

"Fight!"

The crowd surrounding the pit let out a cheer as the two robots left their corners and advanced towards each other. Brick looked across to the other edge of the pit and noticed that Larry's tongue was sticking out as he concentrated on piloting his own contestant. Bonnie gave Brick a wave and a smile from the other side, and Brick waved back. It was nice to see that Bonnie viewed it as a friendly competition.

Brick was pleased to see that his advice on making a more flexible, monkey-like robot had been implemented by Justine. When the robots moved against each other, it became even more obvious that Justine's robot had the edge in terms of movement. Larry awkwardly tried to maneuver his robot's clawed hands and get a hold of something, but Justine's robot avoided its grasp. Its smaller mallet hands landed several blows on the_ Queen Bee_ as the crowd gasped.

The robots separated for a moment as the two teams assessed the situation. Justine's robot rushed forward again and threw several more hits against its larger opponent, which tried in vain to pin down its tormentor with metallic pincers. Justine operated her controller skillfully as she dodged her opponent's attacks. Brick found himself absorbed in the match. The rest of the crowd had grown silent as well, letting out only an occasional gasp or shout as they observed the battle below them.

"Get that little guy!" someone shouted from the audience.

Someone else whistled. "Don't let that refrigerator push you around!" His comment raised a laugh from several other people in the crowd, but most of the audience was absorbed in the fight.

Justine landed several more hits on her opponent, but they did not seem to be doing much damage. As the robots twisted and turned in their deadly game, Justine's robot managed to clamp its vice-like mouth around a metallic arm. The crowd _oohed_ and _aahed_, but Justine's robot still did not seem to do any damage. Larry spun the _Queen Bee_ around in a circle a few times, dragging its smaller opponent along with it, when suddenly it whipped the smaller robot against a wall of the pit, forcing its mouth to release its hold.

Brick was concerned – the collision with the wall looked painful. Their robot's mouth looked like it was slightly askance after having been jerked off of the _Queen Bee's_ arm, as well.

Justine pulled her robot back in order to gain a breather and regroup for another attack, but Larry seemed to sense an opportunity for an aggressive attack of his own. He piloted his robot closer as Justine pulled back, and before she could react quickly enough to move her robot out of the way, it was pinned in the larger robot's pincer hands. Larry dragged his prey into the center of the ring, and then demonstrated why the mallet was fixed onto the back of his robot.

The _Queen Bee_, to the surprise of the audience, held its victim at arm's length and flipped itself over with the help of some kind of piston in its undercarriage, which pushed its body up in the air and upside down. The mallet, which had been hanging on the back of the robot, swung through the air with the inertia of the reversing body and brought itself down with a bone-crunching smash.

Justine's robot was crushed.

The flipping maneuver had caused the larger robot to release its hold, but the _Queen Bee's _body appeared to be identical no matter which side was turned upwards, and the tank treads had stayed on the ground as the chassis itself flipped over. It was still ready to grab Justine's robot and go to battle again, but it was obvious that the damage was done.

Justine piloted her robot away from the center of the ring to avoid being pinned again, but it moved awkwardly, its legs taking it in slow zigzag until it crashed against a wall. Several metal pieces trailed from it, and a few loose nuts and bolts littered the ring.

"Alright," boomed Oliver's voice, "I think that's it. Larry Possible and Bonnie Rockwaller are the winners!"

The audience clapped, but it was muted. Judging by their reaction, Brick guessed that they had been expecting Justine to win. She must have been right when she said that Larry was third in terms of robot-making talent compared to Vivian and herself. The match lookd like it was an unexpected upset.

Brick turned to Justine, who was still staring in shock at her pulverized creation in the pit below.

"Justine?"

She turned to him.

"This is your fault."

The clapping trailed off as the crowd listened to the pair. Brick was taken aback.

"What?"

Justine looked like she was struggling for words. "The way you told me to design it, to be more flexible and maneuverable, like the way a monkey moves. It couldn't hit hard enough! And obviously it wasn't strong enough to hold up against Larry's robot. Brute strength was more important."

Brick wondered if Justine was right, but her comments were still painful. "Alright, maybe, but what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is I lost! I've never lost before. I shouldn't have listened to you."

"Well I'm sorry, I thought we were supposed to be having fun!"

Brick was acutely aware of the crowd staring at them, but it seemed to be too late to avoid a scene now. "I don't know why you're blaming me for this anyways, you barely let me help you do anything with the robot. You built it all yourself, even though I wanted to help."

"Like you could have helped! It's a complicated process!" Justine pointed at her robot where it lay crumpled in the ring. "I would have won if the original robot hadn't been stolen, thanks to you telling Monkey Fist all about it so he could steal it. It was your fault that I had to remake the whole robot. I didn't have time to perfect it, it wasn't ready to fight yet. This is your fault!"

Justine wiped a tear from her eye. Brick thought her attitude was completely ridiculous. Here she was, crying over a contest that she lost and blaming him for it. He thought they were just having a good time, but suddenly he felt like he was under attack. The crowd had gathered around them, and Kim and Ron drew a bit closer in preparation of getting Brick and Justine to take a breather for a moment. However, Larry popped out from between them first.

"You are correct, Justine. You shouldn't have followed Brick's advice. You should really be teaming up with a technical master like myself, not with some football player."

"Why don't you stay out of this, Larry?"

Brick felt a surge of anger course through him. He stepped forward – whether he was going to push Larry away or hit him, he wasn't sure – and Larry shrank back in surprise. Just before he was about to take a swing, Brick realized what he was doing and pulled back.

Kim placed herself between Brick and her cousin. "I think we need to calm down, guys."

Bonnie stepped out of the crowd, where she had been standing behind Larry and listening to the conversation. She sidled up next to Brick and stared at Justine angrily.

"Brick, you don't have to take that from her. You didn't do anything wrong, you were just having fun! I don't think Justine really respects you, anyway."

"What does that mean?" asked Brick.

"I heard Justine say you were dumb once, when she was in computer lab. 'Dumb as a brick', she said. I never brought it up because I didn't want to be selfish and get in between the two of you, but now I can see she's being mean to you, and I don't think it's fair."

"You lie!" yelled Justine.

"Do I?" Bonnie stared malevolently at Justine. "Should we ask Ron Reager or Lenny the stage hand if I'm lying? I wonder what they'd say?"

Justine fell silent. Brick saw her muted reaction. To him, it was as good as a confession. He felt his face flush as the crowd around them stared relentlessly.

"Did you really say that, Justine?"

His girlfriend nodded slowly. Brick felt humiliated.

"Brick, it's not what it sounds like..."

"Whatever."

Bonnie took Brick by the arm. "Come on Brick, let's get out of here."

She turned Brick away and led him out of the room. Justine watched silently as the door closed behind them.

XX

"Thanks, Ned."

Bonnie was about to take the tray of Nacos back to the booth where Brick was waiting for her when she did a double take. "Wait a minute, Ned?"

"Yes, that is I!" the freckled teen behind the counter announced.

"How did you get here so quickly from the Robot Rumble? That was only like half an hour ago."

Ned straightened his Mexican flag tie officiously. "I play hard and I work hard, Bonnie. I had a late work shift tonight, and duty called!"

Bonnie shrugged, and was about to turn away when Ned spoke up. "By the way, Bonnie, I hope you're not leading poor Brick astray. It seemed like you were trying to make things worse at the contest."

"You have customers waiting, Ned," said Bonnie in a threatening voice. "Maybe you should be paying attention to them."

Bonnie returned to the booth where Brick was sitting with his head slumped forlornly. She set the tray down and placed Brick's Naco in front of him along with a soda.

"Here you go, Brick. I think you'll feel better once you have something to eat."

Brick opened the Naco and bit into it absently as he stared into space.

Bonnie had been exultant when she left the Robot Rumble with Brick, and since they hadn't eaten any dinner, she figured Bueno Nacho was a good place to solidify her new hold on her ex-boyfriend. After seeing Justine implode as a result of losing the contest, Bonnie knew it was time for her to swoop in. Things had worked out even better than she expected; Justine made herself look completely unreasonable, and Bonnie was giving Brick a sympathetic shoulder to cry on. So to speak, anyways. She didn't want actual tears soaking into the fabric of her new shirt.

Something Bonnie knew about Brick, as a result of dating him intermittently, was that he was an insecure person. Brick was friendly and outgoing, yes, and often seemed carefree, but he was insecure about his intelligence and his capabilities. Even if it wasn't always obvious to everyone, it was obvious to Bonnie.

She remembered Brick's attitude when he thought Kim was interested in him – Bonnie had not been dating him the time, but she still heard about what was going on. Brick even told her about it himself later. It was obvious that Brick had been ecstatic about a braggy know-it-all like Kim Possible being interested in him. It made him feel important, like he had something special going on.

And that had been Justine's mistake. Bonnie had anticipated it the minute she realized the two of them had a thing for each other. Justine was a know-it-all, just like Kim, and she was an academic know-it-all to boot. Brick may admire her, but Bonnie knew that eventually he would get burned. All she had to do was wait, and maybe push them in the right direction. Now, her predictions had been confirmed.

"How are you doing, Brickie?"

Brick sipped his soda and shrugged. "Could be better. I still can't believe she said that stuff to me." He stared at the window of their booth. "I don't know, Bonnie, maybe me and Justine aren't really right for each other. She does really get on my case sometimes about homework, and sometimes it seems like she's busy all the time."

"That must be annoying," said Bonnie.

She watched her ex-boyfriend as he sat and ate, lost in thought. She thought about asking Brick to come back to her, right now. She thought about telling him that he shouldn't have broken up with her, that he was out of his element when he was off the football team and dating a nerd like Justine – but Bonnie hesitated.

_Come on, Bonnie_, she prodded herself. _Say something to him._

"How do you feel about Justine?"

Well, she certainly hadn't expected _that_ to come out of her mouth.

Brick looked up from his meal. "Well, I like hanging out with her," said Brick. "She treats me differently than anyone else does. I do like her, but she really hurt me tonight."

"Hmm."

Bonnie cursed herself silently. Here she was, spending time alone with Brick when he was at his most vulnerable, and instead of drawing attention to her own qualities, she was talking about Brick's girlfriend. For some strange reason she had a flash of her _Fortress_ character, Queen Bonnie of Rockwallia, clubbing a troll repeatedly as it lay on the ground.

Kim's stupid cousin had gotten her thinking about nerdy activities at the worst possible moments. Instead of focusing on the task at hand, Bonnie's mind was distracted by other things. Something about what Ned had said at the registers bugged her, buzzed in the back of her brain.

Bonnie felt an unpleasant feeling in the pit of her stomach. Indigestion, maybe.

Or guilt.

XX

* * *

**_Author's Note - _**_I was writing Brick's Romeo and Juliet reference when I thought to myself, "you know, 'wherefore' probably doesn't mean what I think it means." I looked it up to clarify, and 'wherefore' means 'why'. So Juliet is not asking where Romeo is, but why Romeo has to be a Montague and make things such a pain in the butt! I wanted to keep the line in my story though, because I think it works whether or not Brick finds the line amusing for its intended meaning, and I just liked the Romeo and Juliet allusion since Brick and Justine's parents have been a bit resistant to their relationship._

_Anyway, hope you liked the chapter, reviews are welcome, and thanks to Neo the Saiyan Angel and kgs for giving me some suggestions about dealing with a certain aspect of Brick's personality._

_Also, I can't decide whether I should label these footer sections "Author's Note" or "Comments" or just "Notes". I'm so indecisive!  
_


	17. Aftermath

**Aftermath**

XX

Brick wished he was invisible.

The hallways of Middleton High School were filled with whispers and half-heard tales of the debacle at the Robot Rumble. By now, everyone had heard about what happened between Brick and Justine, and Brick had the distinct feeling that all eyes were trained on him as he walked by. Since the contest had taken place early in the school week, Brick's classmates would have ample time over the next few days to gossip with each about what they had heard secondhand. Brick was not looking forward to days and days of this.

He was also not looking forward to seeing his girlfriend, at least not yet. If Brick was invisible, he could avoid Justine in the halls, but he had no such luck. He anticipated some very awkward moments. Brick was angry at Justine, upset at what she had said to him. Not just to his face, but apparently behind his back as well. The Robot Rumble had ended badly, but it wasn't like they had broken up, so Brick knew they would have to work things out at some point. How things would work out, however, he wasn't sure. Perhaps, considering what she had said, she didn't want to be in a relationship after all.

Brick was also a little angry at himself. Justine's unexpected reaction to their loss at the Robot Rumble had cornered him and put him on the defensive, and when Larry had made his snide comment, Brick had felt a violent reaction inside of himself. He had stopped himself before he hit Larry, but Brick had felt the urge to do it. It was the same part of him that had led to his humiliation when he tried to fight Hirotaka earlier in the year.

Brick had a jealous streak, and he was ashamed of it. Larry had inflamed that feeling with all the attention he paid to Justine. Not to mention - if Brick was being honest - the attention Larry was paying to Brick's ex-girlfriend, Bonnie. He disliked Larry, and he had almost let his jealousy get the better of him.

"Hey, Brick."

Lost in a funk, Brick almost stepped right into Ron and Kim standing at Kim's locker.

"Oh, hey guys."

Kim nodded at Brick briefly before turning back to her open locker door. "Alright Wade, let us know if you hear anything new. I don't know what he could be planning, but not knowing anything is driving me crazy!"

Brick craned his head next to Kim and waved at the pudgy boy displayed on the computer terminal inside the locker. "Hey, Kim's computer dude. Wade, I mean."

"Hey Brick. I'll let you guys get to class now."

Wade shut the screen off as Kim gathered some books from her locker and put them into her backpack. "You doing okay?" she asked Brick.

"I don't know. That was pretty rough yesterday, wasn't it?"

Ron laughed nervously. "No way, man! It – uh – well, yeah. That was a bit awkward."

"I don't know why she blew up at me like that. I mean, I guess she was taking the contest a lot more seriously than I was."

"You know," said Kim, "she was out of line at the contest, but I kind of got the impression she was under a lot of stress. It could be that she just kind of overloaded and took it out on you without really meaning it."

Kim wasn't sure why she was defending Justine – perhaps she recognized when a person felt overwhelmed by things, and Justine had not seemed quite like her normal self at the contest, even when she was at her most abrasive.

Brick nodded. "I guess that's true. I know her parents stress her out sometimes."

"I know how you feel buddy," said Ron. "Me and Tara actually broke up over the weekend. I'll never understand girls!"

Kim was about to make a comment about girls never understanding Ron either when she realized what he had just said. "Wait, what? You broke up with Tara?"

"Yeah, I didn't know this either," said Brick.

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Kim. "You even said she didn't feel like coming to the contest."

"I dunno, I guess I just wanted to go to the contest and have fun and try to forget about it. I didn't want to mope."

"Why'd you break up with her?" asked Brick.

"It was mutual. We both realized we didn't have that much in common, and I was kind of getting the vibe that she digs Kevin Guberman." Brick nodded; apparently Ron had been noticing Tara's friendliness towards Kevin as well, even though he had appeared oblivious to Brick. "We're still going to be friends though. We get along well and it was a pretty painless breakup."

"Well, that's good," Brick said. "Right Kim?"

"What?" Kim appeared to be lost in thought. "Oh, yeah. That's good." She closed her locker as they began to walk to their physics class.

"Don't get the wrong impression, by the way," Brick told Ron as they walked down the hall, "I didn't break up with Justine or anything. I don't really know what's going on with us now. Maybe it was just a fight."

Brick thought about his own reactions at the Robot Rumble. "And, I gotta admit, I'm feeling kind of guilty too. I think I almost punched your cousin at the Robot Rumble, Kim. He made some jerk comment about me being a football player, and I just got the urge. I wish I didn't get jealous so easily."

Kim patted Brick on the back. "The important thing is that you didn't punch him. If you did, you'd have to deal with me." Kim smiled as if she was teasing him, but Brick gulped all the same. "Besides, you had more self-control than you did with Hirotaka, remember?"

Brick did remember. He hadn't really thought about it that way – his confrontation with Hirotaka over the ninja's brief flirtation with Bonnie was a far worse example of Brick's jealousy problems.

"I guess you're right."

"Maybe Justine's been a good influence on you," suggested Ron.

Brick thought about his girlfriend. Justine was definitely having some kind of influence on Brick, that was for sure. Whether it was good or bad, Brick had not yet decided. He didn't want to give Justine all the credit, though; Brick liked to think that he was trying to change for his own sake as well.

The trio entered their physics classroom, where Mr. Barkin was already standing at the front desk and organizing some papers. Tara was sitting in the middle of a group of open seats. Brick and Kim both hesitated before sitting down with her, but Ron chose a seat next to her with no hesitation. Apparently, he not been lying when he said their breakup was mutual and drama-free.

Brick noticed Justine in a corner of the classroom, but she did not look up when he came in. He could not make out her expression, as she was absorbed in an open textbook. Mr. Barkin finished settling in and strode out from his desk to the front of the class before Brick could consider greeting Justine.

"Okay," said Mr. Barkin. "Class has begun! I hope you're all ready for shame and disappointment, because your physics tests are now graded and ready to return." He began walking down each row of desks as he passed papers out.

Brick groaned; he was not expecting a good grade. Once again, Brick found himself wishing that he could make himself invisible. At least, just while Mr. Barkin passed his desk.

XX

The sun beat down on Middleton High School's athletic field, but a cool breeze took away its bite. The Middleton Mad Dogs cheer squad was practicing in the middle of the field in order to enjoy an afternoon out of the gym. Kim Possible led he squad through another pyramid routine.

"Okay, on three!"

The cheerleaders began to swig their pom-pons and chant, lining up in formation and gradually breaking out in mid-dance to form the base of a pyramid. At the climax of the routine, Kim performed several back flips and landed on top of the pyramid.

Unfortunately, Bonnie was holding up one of Kim's legs, and her grip was not as solid as it should have been. The pyramid collapsed in a heap. A collective groan rose up from their twisted bodies. Kim was starting to remember why they usually practiced in the gym with easy access to safety mats, even when it was a nice day outside.

"We'll get there," Kim said as she massaged her thigh. "How about we take five?"

The team limped over to the bleachers on the side of the field. Kim felt like chewing out Bonnie for messing up their routine, but she hesitated. Bonnie's mind was clearly elsewhere, seeing as she had already messed up several times. Kim wasn't sure what to make of Bonnie lately. Her cheerleading rival had been something remarkably close to civil for a while now, as if she was too distracted to bother taking jabs at Kim during practice. Still, Kim was unable to resist saying something about the Robot Rumble.

"Hey Bonnie," said Kim. Her rival glanced up from her place in the stands, where she sat and rubbed a sore elbow. "I think what you've been doing with Brick is pretty low."

"What are you talking about?"

"That whole sitch at the Robot Rumble."

"What did I have to do with that?" asked Bonnie. "Justine had a meltdown and I left with Brick before things got worse. Sue me."

"It was pretty obvious you were trying to weasel your way in between Brick and Justine. That, and the way you've been hanging out with my cousin."

Kim could see that Bonnie had teamed up with Larry to go to the Robot Rumble and manipulate Brick and Justine somehow. She was not sure what else Bonnie was getting out of Cousin Larry – Kim was surprised that Bonnie hadn't already attacked her with embarrassing stories of her childhood. Whatever was going on, through, someone like Bonnie did not hang out with someone like Larry. It was just, like, a rule.

"How do you know I don't _like_ hanging out with your freak cousin?"

Kim rolled her eyes. "Larry and I may not be the closest people in the world, Bonnie, but you're gonna be in trouble if you hurt him."

"Chill, K. Just leave me alone, alright?"

Bonnie walked off to another part of the bleachers, away from the rest of the cheerleaders. Her response unnerved Kim. Sometimes Kim and Bonnie could verbally spar with each other almost indefinitely, at least until Ron invariably broke them up with a non sequitur or they were interrupted by something else. But Bonnie never just walked away and let the conservation go. There was always a last quip, a final word, or even a cheeky flounce of her hair.

Kim turned to Tara, who had been sitting nearby. "How are you, by the way?" she asked.

"Me? I'm good!" Tara smiled at her cheer captain.

"You know, if you want to talk to someone about the breakup with Ron, I'm totally cool with listening."

"Thanks, but that's okay. I think me and Ron are going to be fine. I guess I have a thing for cute dorky guys, but that doesn't mean things would work out with Ron in particular."

Kim nodded. She was not too surprised; Tara definitely had a dorky streak of her own.

Kim grabbed a water bottle that she had left on the bleachers during practice and took a drink. Even with the breeze, it was beginning to get a little warm outside. She was about to gather her squad together to continue their practice when a shadow fell down over her, followed by a large finger tapping her shoulder. She looked up to see Mr. Barkin.

"The football team needs the field to practice, Possible. Maybe it would be easier if you took the squad into the gym, like you usually do."

"Alright Mr. Barkin."

Kim waved at the rest of her team to gather around. She didn't mind having to move back to the gym – at this point, safety mats were definitely appealing to her more than grass, and she still wanted a few minutes to recover from her spill off the top of the pyramid. "Hey everybody, we're going back to the gym!"

Mr. Barkin split his football team into opposing sides for practice as Kim and the cheer squad left. Kim heard him speaking to the players as she was leaving. "Eddie, you have to step it up this time," he said. "We don't have much time left before the game! We need to DOMINATE!"

Kim was halfway back to the gym when a panting shape smacked into her and knocked her to the ground. The rest of the cheer squad stopped and gaped as their Mad Dog mascot rolled off of Kim with a groan. Kim felt a splattering of banana cream foam on her face.

"Ugh, Ron! Watch where you're going much?"

"Sorry KP. Sorry I'm late, everybody! Hope you guys could manage without me." Ron took off the Mad Dog mask and gasped for breath.

"You don't have to wear the mascot mask when you're running around, Ron."

"_Now_ you tell me!" Ron looked around the school grounds. "So what's up? We practicing outside today?"

"Not anymore. We're going back to the gym."

"Aw, man!"

XX

Bonnie and her entourage of fellow cheerleaders walked through the mall doors, ready for some after-school shopping. She and her friends had piled into Marcella's car right after school ended and gone directly to the mall. Bonnie was glad to have an opportunity to go shopping with her fellow teammates. Bonnie had tried to get Brick to come along with them, but he said he just wanted to go home. Tara was tagging along, at least – Bonnie was happy to spend some time with Tara, since she had not talked to her bubbly blonde friend in a little while.

"So Brick couldn't come?" asked Tara.

"No, he had work to do, I guess."

"That's too bad. I heard that Brick and Justine had a little argument at that robot contest."

Bonnie laughed nervously. "Yeah, something like that."

"You were there too, weren't you? I heard you built a robot with Kim's cousin. I didn't realize that you were interested in robots."

Bonnie grew uncomfortable - Tara's voice sounded a little disapproving, as if Tara knew that she really didn't have a lot of interest in robots. Not to mention that Bonnie did not really want to talk about Larry in front of her cheerleading teammates. That was asking for trouble.

"Anything in particular we want to nab today?" asked Bonnie.

"Well, summer's coming up before too long," Tara said, "so I was thinking we should be ready to dress to impress!"

"Bikinis?"

"Totally!"

Bonnie grinned. "I like that idea. Going to make Stoppable's brain explode, are you?"

"Oh no," said Tara. "I broke up with Ron this weekend."

"What?"

"Get with the program, Bonnie," said Marcella. A couple of the other cheerleaders smirked at Marcella's comment.

Bonnie was amazed at how out of the loop she had been. She began to wonder if her focus on breaking up Brick and Justine was a little unhealthy – the last time she could remember missing out on a juicy piece of school gossip was the incident where Kim and Walter Nelson had gotten their braces stuck together. Bonnie had only missed out on being at the front of that gossip train because Ron had done an unusually good job of keeping it on the down-low, at least until someone else who had witnessed the incident started blabbing at school.

"Yeah, we both decided we'd rather just be friends," said Tara.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?"

Tara shrugged. "You've been kind of distracted lately, Bonnie. And you never wanted to hear about me and Ron anyways, so why would you care?"

Bonnie was about to tell Tara that she cared because ditching Ron meant opening the playing field for a more acceptable boyfriend, but Tara's question gave her a pang of guilt. Tara almost made it sound like Bonnie was not interested in her friend's life at all. Bonnie was just very busy lately with living her own life. That's all it was.

"So, now that you're single, who are you thinking of dating?" asked Bonnie as the group took their time strolling by various mall outlets while they window-shopped.

"Well, I dunno," said Tara. "You're just going to make fun of me."

"Come on, I won't make fun of you _that_ much."

Tara looked like she was unable to hold herself back. "Oh, alright. I haven't asked him out yet, but I think I might be interested in Kevin Guberman!"

"_What_?"

Bonnie was surprised to find that she had not said anything – it was Hope who had let the surprised outburst loose. Tara's revelation stopped the group dead in their tracks. Bonnie felt relieved. Perhaps she was not the only one feeling out of the loop.

Still, Kevin Guberman? Bonnie shuddered. He was worse than Stoppable – even Ron got some residual points for hanging out with Kim all the time, who had some kind of place on the food chain even if Bonnie hated to admit that fact. Bonnie was about to implore Tara to reconsider, but she thought about what Tara had said to her a moment ago. About how Bonnie didn't care.

Bonnie also thought about Larry. Her cheerleading teammates had not brought up the subject, but at this point, most of the school knew she was hanging out with Larry on some limited basis. Bonnie did not want to set herself up for a backlash.

"Kevin Guberman? For real?"  
Tara nodded. Bonnie knew she had to say something positive.

"Well," she mused, "he is a boy..."

Tara clasped her hands together dreamily. "He _is_, isn't he?"

As the cheerleaders turned a corner, a friendly yellow fruit beckoned to them from its perch on a sign across the food court. _Club Banana_ was near. Bonnie could almost smell the fashion. She wasn't sure if Tara would actually buy anything - sometimes Tara just went to the mall and window shopped – but Bonnie made it a point to purchase at least one pretty thing on every visit. What else was the mall for?

Bonnie's anticipation turned to terror as she stopped abruptly. A figure got up from a table at the other end of the food court where he had been eating with his mother. The boy and his mother looked like they had just finished their meal; if Bonnie and her entourage had gone to the mall just a minute earlier, they might have been able to sneak inside Club Banana without catching his attention. Now it was too late. The boy ran towards Bonnie and her teammates excitedly.

_ Oh dear God_, she thought. _Not him. Not now._

"Salutations, Queen Bonnie of Rockwallia," said Larry with a half-snort, half-laugh.

The other cheerleaders stared in silence at the scene unfolding before them.

"Um, hi Larry."

"I just thought I would inform you that the 'gang' and I will be playing another game of _Crypts and Creatures_ sometime in the next few days, as soon as Charlotte finishes her online thesis on why Sheela of the Leopard People is superior to the Fearless Ferret as a moral archetype. Should I call you and let you know when to be at the comic shop?"

Bonnie thought she heard a fizzling sound as her reputation went up in flames.

"Um, Larry," she said, hoping she could stop the blaze before she plummeted to the bottom of the food chain, "I was just hanging out with you to get more face time with Brick, okay? I have no interest in your silly games. Now, me and the girls are off to shop, so if you'll please get out of our-"

Bonnie's sentence cut off at the sight of Larry's mother approaching from behind him. June had just thrown away the trash and put away their tray, and now she was giving Bonnie a look so fiery that Bonnie thought she might sunburn.

"So, if you'll please excuse us," Bonnie said carefully, "we're off to see what the sales are today at _Club Banana_. But it was nice talking to you, Larry." Bonnie gave June a glance. "Hello, Larry's mother."

"Hello, cheerleader."

Larry adjusted his glasses with an air of disappointment. "As you wish, Bonnie. See you later." He trailed behind his mother as they left Bonnie and her group behind.

The cheerleaders began walking towards _Club Banana_ again, and Bonnie risked a glance behind her. She noticed that Larry was entering some kind of gaming store, while his mother continued further on into the mall to shop elsewhere. Bonnie paused at the fashion outlet's entrance, throwing a longing gaze at some of the shirts displayed in the storefront windows.

"Hey guys," she said, "Why don't you all go in and shop a bit? I have to go to the bathroom."

They shrugged and walked in as Bonnie walked back towards the bathrooms. After making sure that none of her teammates were watching her from _Club Banana_, Bonnie veered sharply as she arrived at the entrance of the gaming store and slipped inside. She found Larry browsing an aisle of colorful game boxes.

"Psst! Larry!"

"Oh, hello Bonnie," said Larry, looking up from the shelves. "What is it?"

Bonnie felt like she was hitting up a dealer in a dark alley for her next fix.

"When did you say you guys were playing at the shop?"

XX

Brick sat at his kitchen table doing some homework and eating a snack. He had just gotten back from school, and since he was still in a bad mood, he decided to get some work done since he wasn't gong to be enjoying himself doing anything else. He had avoided talking to Justine for most of the day, even though he knew they needed to talk about things. Perhaps he would call her sometime. Or maybe it could wait until tomorrow.

Brick looked up from his homework at the sound of the front door opening. His father came in, dressed in his suit and tie, and leaned against the kitchen entryway after setting his briefcase down.

"How's it going, Brick?"

"Not bad. Just working on some homework. You get back from job hunting?"

"Yeah. No luck yet, but it'll happen eventually." His father undid his tie and threw it on the kitchen table. "So how was your day at school? You had a physics test, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I only got a C+ though, even with all that studying. I don't know why I bothered."

Mason frowned at his son. He pointed to the bag of snack mix that Brick was munching on, as if to ask if there was any for him, and Brick nodded. Mason pulled out a glass bowl from a cupboard above the kitchen sink and poured a handful of the snack mix into it, sitting down at the kitchen table opposite his son. He munched thoughtfully on a few pieces of snack mix.

"A C+ ain't bad, Brick. Compared to a lot of the grades you've gotten in the past, that's pretty good. And it's physics, it's not like that's your best subject."

"Yeah, but Kim got an A. I don't know what Justine got, but it was probably like an A+ or something."

"It's not like you're gonna be scoring straight A's overnight though, Brick."

"I got an A on that volcano project that I was working on with Justine, before we started going out."

Mason nodded. "Sure, but didn't you say that Justine did most of that? Maybe she helped you study for this physics test, but I'd say this was more your own efforts. And you did pretty good by that measure. Seems like you're being a bit hard on yourself, Brick."

"I dunno dad. Maybe I was just fooling myself to think that I could be any good at stuff besides football."

"Come on," said Mason. "You can do lots of things, Brick. You helped with that robot -"

"Not much", interrupted Brick.

"-You told me you gave Justine ideas and stuff on how to build it. Stuff she actually used when she made it. And whether or not it worked in the end, you said she knows what she's doing, so you must have had a decent idea if she thought it was good enough to use. That takes creativity, Brick.

"And you say that you're not good at things besides football, like football doesn't count. You shouldn't just dismiss that, Brick. You're good at football, that takes dedication and practice. To be honest, I was surprised you quit the team, because I know you like football. Maybe you wanted to try new things, but you don't have to leave something you like behind. You don't have to change who you are."

Mason watched his son stare at the table. He knew that his son could be insecure, but much of the time Brick masked it with his easygoing exterior and friendliness. It was not often that Mason saw this side of Brick in the open.

"Brick, is this about what happened at the Robot Rumble? You still haven't told me about that. You just kind of shrugged me off, but I get the impression something's going on between you and Justine. You wanna talk about it with your old man? I'll try not to say anything lame," teased Mason.

Brick put away his homework and sat back in his chair. Maybe it would help to talk to his father.

"Yeah, you're right, something did happen. Justine kind of blew up at me when we lost the contest. She made me feel like I was dragging her down or something. It was a big scene. Now, I dunno what's going to happen between us."

"What is it that you want to happen between you?"

"I'm not sure, really."

Brick's story reminded Mason of his own past. Justine was very much like Samantha had been, in some ways. Justine's reaction to losing the contest was a good example. Samantha always hated it when she could not do something that she put her mind towards, when she was held back by something. Their differences had proven too much for Mason and Samantha to work through. It didn't help that Samantha had never been very aware of her own faults, either.

Their different personalities had eventually forced the two of them apart, and it sounded to Mason like his son was experiencing some of the same problems with Justine. But then, Mason knew that Justine was not Samantha, and his own past was not Brick's present and future. He even realized that as much as he might like to place the blame on Samantha, much of the blame was his own as well. Mason wanted to give Brick advice, but he could not tell his son what to do about Justine. When it came down to it, Mason had to admit that he barely knew the girl.

"Do you like her?" he asked his son.

Brick's answer came quickly. "Yeah. I guess we have some big differences, but I like her. She's fun to hang out with when she's not busy all the time. She made me feel like I was more than just a jock. Like, she thought I was a smart guy who just didn't apply himself, which made me feel good. At least, I thought that's how she saw me, until recently."

"Do you think you guys can work out your differences?"

"I don't know."

Mason had finished the snack mix. He got up and put the bowl in the sink, intending to give his son some time to himself. To finish his homework, and to think things over. Mason patted his son on the back.

"It's up to you, Brick. Nobody else can tell you what you want. You have to figure out what you want, and go get it."

XX

* * *

_My story hit counts have been frozen for a week, which is kind of annoying, but I'm posting chapters anyway. Just means I have no idea how many people read new chapters that are put up. Ah well, hope you guys enjoyed!_


	18. Growing Pains

**Growing Pains**

XX

Monkey Fist surveyed the bustling scene in front of him. Jack Hench's discount henchmen had been an excellent purchase; Monkey Fist had to admit there were some benefits to using human minions. In addition to a very important core group of trained ninja monkeys, of course. He snapped his fingers at the sight of one henchman sitting on a wooden crate and sipping from a juice box.

"You there! Back to work."

"I've still got five minutes left on my break, boss!"

"Ah. Fine then, carry on," grumbled Monkey Fist.

Amy's laboratory was crowded with crates and pallets of various metallic, plastic, and electronic doodads, the exact uses of which escaped Monkey Fist. His recently acquired henchmen, fortunately, had more mechanical knowledge than he did. Monkey Fist had given Justine's schematics for the robot to the most well-trained of his henchmen, along with a general idea of what he had in mind.

The henchmen had ordered the parts that were needed and started the work themselves. The various parts were being shipped to nearby locations in Middleton and then transported into Amy's laboratory using the Transportulator. The henchmen themselves were using the same method to get in and out of the laboratory; this prevented anyone from noticing an excessive amount of illicit activity taking place around Amy's house.

The henchman who had been drinking his juice box threw it away and got back up to join his fellow workers, who were gathered around a monstrous figure that towered above them. The figure was only half-finished, but it was several dozen feet high. It had no head, but it still gave the impression of staring across the laboratory from a vantage point high above Monkey Fist, sightless and impassive. The workers hammering and soldering away on scaffolds were dwarfed by the figure, which reached almost to the height of the spacious lab's ceiling. Monkey Fist had liked the look of Justine's robot, but he was thinking bigger.

If he could not get Amy to create a giant controllable living monkey for him, Monkey Fist would have to settle for the next best thing. The massive robotic creature was not one solid mass, but more of an amalgam of crisscrossing pipes and supports. However, it was clearly simian in shape. At its top, where the head should have been, was a cage-like enclosure just big enough for Monkey Fist to stand inside. From there, he would be able to control the robot's movements and smite his enemies.

Satisfied with the progress on his monkey robot, Monkey Fist walked to the other end of the laboratory where Amy was playing with her new pet. The creature had grown to the size of a large child. Its body, a mottled shade somewhere between dark green and ash gray, supported two large leathery wings that terminated in clawed hands. Monkey Fist thought they looked vaguely like a bat's wings. The creature leaped up and down in excitement as Amy cooed. Some of the creature's leaps launched it into the air, where it hovered for several moments as it spread out its wings and flapped. It had almost mastered the power of flight.

"How is the creature doing?"

"Just splendid," said Amy. "Thanks for asking, Monty! I've decided to name it Cuddledactyl."

Monkey Fist slapped a palm to his forehead. "Cuddledactyl? Amy, must we have ridiculous names for _all_ your creatures? Perhaps we could call it a Death Shrike. Or name it after some legendary creature. A Cockatrice, perhaps!"

"It's not a rooster, Monty."

Monkey Fist felt a growing throb of pain just behind his left eye.

"We need to strike terror into the hearts of our foes, Amy."

"Oh monkey-wunkey!" laughed Amy. "You're about as terrifying as the chintz throw pillows on my bed!"

Monkey Fist felt like he had been smacked in the face. Or - based on the growing headache he was developing - smacked in the brain.

"Anyways, it's my cuddly-wuddly creature, and I'm naming it Cuddledactyl. That's final." Amy nodded authoritatively and turned to her beloved creation. "Now, watch what I taught him to do! Roll over."

The creature obediently folded its wings together and rolled over. Amy picked up a nearby oven mitt that she had taken from upstairs and threw it across the floor.

"Fetch!"

The creature raced across the floor to pick up the oven mitt and brought it back to Amy, clutching it in a lamprey-like mouth lined with needle sharp teeth that pointed inwards. It dropped the oven mitt to the floor.

"Count!"

Amy held up a few fingers on each hand, and the creature let out a disturbing croak. Monkey Fist listened as the creature croaked seven times, matching Amy's finger count. He was impressed. The creature was intelligent, and – he hoped – not even full grown yet. Monkey Fist could see that Amy was entertained as well, but parlor tricks were not exactly what he was looking for.

"Can it do anything else, Amy? Say, more useful to our purposes?"

"Of course, silly," Amy giggled. "Maul!"

The creature picked up the oven mitt again, where it had been dropped at Amy's feet, and shook it violently in its toothy mouth. White cotton stuffing began to fly from the creature's mouth as it pinned the oven mitt to the ground and ripped viciously with tooth and claw. Monkey Fist smiled. That was more like it, he thought.

A series of rings burst from the center of the laboratory, next to the computer terminals. Someone was calling the Transportulator. Monkey Fist walked over and pressed the 'accept' button, leaping back in surprise as a henchman appeared beside him in a burst of green light. He still wasn't used to that effect.

"Hey boss," said the henchman. He held a large bag of Bueno Nacho in his hands. "I got some more chow for that crazy gargoyle thing to-"

The henchmen screamed as the gargoyle in question leaped at him, ripping the bag of food from his hands. It swiftly tore the bag open and scattered Nacos across the floor as it indiscriminately ate food and paper bag alike.

"Bad boy!" said Amy. "No making messes on the floor!"

Monkey Fist smiled. If the creature kept growing in size as Amy had promised it would, it might end up being quite fearsome. It needed a constant stream of food as it grew larger, and Monkey Fist had decided that Bueno Nacho's bulk Naco combination deal was the best use of his – well, Amy's – dollar. Once the creature was an adult, Monkey Fist anticipated giving the creature a very different diet.

Perhaps Ron Stoppable would be on the menu.

XX

Kim was about to get into the lunch line when a hand rested on her shoulder. She turned to find Justine standing behind her.

"Hey Justine."

"Hello Kim."

Justine had a brown bag in her hands that Kim presumed was her lunch. She fidgeted nervously, twisting the bag in between her hands until Kim thought it might burst.

"Something wrong, Justine?"

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to eat lunch with me."

Kim was not sure what to say to Justine's request. She had been planning to eat with Ron, Brick, and Monique, and she was not sure why Justine would want to eat with them. As far as Kim knew, Justine and Brick had not patched things up between each other yet. Kim decided that she'd give Justine an opening to try to make things right.

"Sure, Justine. Just let me get my lunch and we can go eat at the lunch table."

"No," said Justine as the stopped Kim again. "I meant just you. I guess I wanted to ask for some advice on things. I was wondering if you wanted to eat outside, maybe on the bleachers?"

"I don't think they'd let me take a lunch tray out there."

"You can split my sandwich if you want. I just wanted to talk to you about some stuff. Please?"

Justine sounded like she wanted help, and Kim was all about helping people. She nodded and followed Justine out of the lunch room. Hopefully her friends would not be too confused when she went missing, but she could catch up with them later.

Justine left the school and Kim followed behind as they walked towards the football field. Justine chose a spot in the stands and took her lunch out of its brown paper bag, giving half of her sandwich to Kim. Kim took a bite; it was peanut butter and jelly. Something else about the taste seemed off, though.

"Are there marshmallows in this?"

Justine nodded. "Yepth," she said while chewing a mouthful of sandwich.

"That's pretty weird."

Kim was about to say that marshmallows belonged in hot chocolate or on hot dogs, when she realized maybe she didn't have a leg to stand on. "Er, nevermind. Good sandwich! So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, I guess about what happened at the Robot Rumble."

Kim nodded. "You were pretty mean to Brick, you know."

"I know."

Justine remembered how crestfallen Brick had looked after Bonnie had told him about what Justine said in the computer room. "I just kind of freaked out when I lost the contest, I suppose. I'm not used to losing. All my life, it's been my attitude to do everything right, to be perfect at everything, or else there's no point in trying. Somehow it was even worse because I lost to Bonnie, even if Larry probably made that robot for her. It's like I knew she was trying to worm her way in between me and Brick, and when I lost, she won."

"You still took it out on Brick, though."

Justine nodded. "I wish I hadn't. He probably hates me now."

"He doesn't hate you, but it rattled him a little."

Even if her reaction at the Robot Rumble had been out of line, Justine's explanation struck a chord in Kim. She realized that, in some ways, she and Justine were very much alike. Kim could certainly understand Justine's all-or-nothing attitude, and she knew that her perfectionism could work against her sometimes as well. Not to mention that losing to Bonnie was something that could get under _anyone's_ skin.

Kim was thankful that she had people like Ron and – more recently – Monique to remind her to take life easy sometimes. Even Kim's parents, while they pushed her to work hard and do well, knew the importance of enjoying life and being happy with who you were. Kim couldn't imagine how much more stressful her life might be if her parents took a stricter attitude towards Kim's priorities.

"I guess I'm just having trouble with figuring out what I want out of life lately," said Justine. "Going out with Brick has been great, but it's also been difficult sometimes. Confusing, maybe. He has such a different attitude than I do, and he does things differently. He's a lot more easygoing. At first I thought that being so easygoing was a fault, and I could change him to work harder and be more like me, but now I don't know. Maybe I work too hard. Or maybe we just aren't a good match."

Kim nodded. "You guys are both different, that's true. That's not necessarily a bad thing though. It's just a question of whether or not you guys compliment each other or clash in your differences. Like, if you guys can fit together."

Justine blushed.

"Not like that, Justine. Sheesh! Uh - not that I'm judging you if you _have_."

"Oh no, my parents would kill me." Justine seemed to lose her track of thought for a moment. "But he is a hottie, isn't he..."

"Um, yes, anyways," Kim said before the conversation could veer too far in a gorchy direction, "Sometimes similarities are good, but sometimes differences are good. Brick might be exactly what you need."

"When you're talking about differences being good, do you mean like you and Ron?"

Kim thought about Justine's comment. She knew that she and Ron were different, and she had thought about those differences on occasion, but Justine had just spelled it out for her, even if she hadn't meant to. It was true – she and Ron fit together nicely.

"I guess you're right, yeah. Like me and Ron. I know how you feel about changing Brick, because sometimes Ron can get exasperating – I wish he'd pay a little more attention in school, for instance. But he's a laid back guy, like Brick. Maybe a little more hysterical sometimes, but laid back. It's definitely nice to unwind with Ron at Bueno Nacho after a mission. Or a really bad cheerleading practice with Bonnie."

"I can imagine that," said Justine with a laugh.

"I guess Ron helps keep my head out of the clouds a little bit. Maybe Brick does the same thing with you. It does seem like you've been a little more social lately. And it's not like you have to choose between having a social life and a boyfriend or being perfect at everything, you know? You can find a way to balance it."

"How did you find a way?" asked Justine.

"Well, I'm not so great with that either," laughed Kim. "But my friends help me, and my parents do too. There's no point in trying to be perfect if it doesn't make you happy. That, and it's impossible to be perfect, contrary to what Bonnie might tell you. Besides, you made a machine that rips the fabric of space and time, and you're not even in college yet. Don't you think you've earned the right to ease up a little if you want to explore other things in life?"

Justine nodded. "Maybe you're right. I don't know though, it's such a part of who I am. What if I can't change it? What if Brick can't deal with me?"

Kim took the last bite of her marshmallow, peanut butter, and jelly sandwich. "I don't think either of you have to change to be with each other, Justine, you just have to figure out how to work together instead of against each other. Relationships aren't always easy. At least I don't _think_ they're easy, I'm not like an expert or something. I didn't even date Walter Nelson, and Josh Mankey didn't last very long..."

Kim realized she was going off on a tangent. "Um, anyway, at the end of the day it's all about whether or not you like being with Brick. It's just a question of whether he makes you happy or not."

Justine ate her sandwich in silence, thinking about Kim's advice.

"So, did that help?"

"I think so. Thanks Kim."

Kim nodded and stood back up. "I think I'm going to go back inside before Ron makes a scene, thinking I went on another mission without him." She stepped out from the stands and left for the school building. "Good luck, Justine!"

XX

Bonnie left another class in a foul mood. She had overheard several comments about her being whispered amongst her classmates. Comments about how Brick would never be able to escape from her. How, even when he tried, Bonnie found a way to rope him back in, to keep him on a short leash. Bonnie pushed a gawky classmate out of the way as she stomped down the hallway. She was looking for someone.

The comments had been part of an ongoing trend, ever since word had spread about Brick and Justine's spat at the Robot Rumble, about how Bonnie had left the event with Brick in tow. Tara had told Bonnie at the mall that she was being manipulative, or at least her blonde teammate had heavily implied it. Kim had told her that she was being manipulative as well. The rest of the student body seemed to agree. Of course, they were all right, except that Bonnie liked to think of it not so much as manipulating, but sliding everything into its proper place in the social order.

Manipulation or no, Bonnie was unable to remove her nagging sense of guilt. She couldn't explain it. Why should she feel guilty? All she did was tell the truth. Justine had called Brick stupid. The girl probably didn't appreciate him, and all Bonnie _really_ did was stand back while the two of them did most of the damage to their relationship on their own. Brick was a quarterback – at least, he used to be – and Bonnie was the de facto head cheerleader, even if Kim held the role in a meaningless technical sense. She and Brick belonged together. It was simple.

Somehow, though, it wasn't. Brick was clearly unhappy as a result of what happened at the Robot Rumble. He was not acting like himself. Of course, Brick had not been acting like himself ever since he spent all his time with Justine. Building robots, actually doing his homework. Freak fighting with Possible. Bonnie was beginning to wonder if she didn't know Brick as well as she thought she did.

Bonnie felt a growing uncertainty about whether or not she really knew herself, either. She had spent weeks focused on the goal of getting Brick back for herself, fuming about Justine Flanner's flagrant violation of the food chain. And now Bonnie had achieved that goal. Okay, so she wasn't going out with Brick again quite yet, but she knew her ex-boyfriend was in her grasp.

Yet Bonnie was no longer even sure if she wanted to be with Brick.

They did belong together, according to the rules of the food chain, but as Bonnie tried to think about the kinds of things that she did with Brick while they were dating, she was at a loss. She took him shopping, they went out to eat, but when it came down to it, Brick was an accessory. A good-looking one, to be sure, but there were other accessories she could find.

Bonnie was also horrified to discover that, beyond being in a foul mood, she had spent much of the school day thinking about playing _Crypts and Creatures_. It was definitely not something she was ready to shout out to the world. Brick did not play role-playing games either, she realized.

Bonnie turned a corner, still staring daggers at anyone who happened to block her path, when she stopped in her tracks. She had found who she was looking for.

Justine.

The two girls stood at opposite ends of the hallway, but Justine was coming towards Bonnie and had not yet noticed her. The door to the janitor's closet was situated directly in between them. Bonnie strode purposefully forward, increasing her speed so they would meet at the door. Just as Bonnie's quarry looked up and noticed the steely-eyed brunette bearing down on her, Bonnie opened the closet door and shoved Justine inside, following closely behind her. Several nearby students gaped as the two girls disappeared into the closet, the door slamming behind them.

"What are you doing?" protested Justine. "Let go of me!"

Bonnie turned the closet light on. "Shut up and sit down," she said, pointing to a metal supply crate in the corner of the closet. "I need to talk to you."

"You know what? I don't really feel like talking to _you_ right now, so if you'll excuse me-"

Bonnie blocked Justine's path to the door as the girl tried to leave. "I said sit down."

For a moment, Justine looked like she was about to pounce. Bonnie tensed – she remembered how strong Justine had been in their first fight, and Bonnie was not relishing another one. At least this time Mr. Barkin was less likely to pop up out of nowhere and give them detention, although Bonnie couldn't be sure. She felt relieved when Justine sat back down on the crate, apparently changing her mind about trying to fight her way out.

"What do you want now? Ruining things for me isn't enough?"

Bonnie sighed. "That's what I wanted to talk about – you and Brick."

"What about us? I don't know if there is an 'us' anymore, thanks to you."

"Enough!" yelled Bonnie.

Justine froze, surprised by Bonnie's tone.

"That's your problem, Justine! Okay, so maybe I was trying to get in between you two, and maybe I made things harder for you guys, but most of this is your fault."

Justine folded her arms together petulantly, but she did not object to Bonnie's statement.

"Look," said Bonnie, "I know what you're doing wrong because you're kind of like me, as annoying as that is. You're taking Brick for granted. And you're trying to make him into something that he's not. Brick is an insecure guy, and I messed up when I treated him like he was stupid. But even if he isn't stupid, he's not as smart as you are, Justine. At least not in the same way. If you expect him to be just like you, then you're just going to drive him away. You have to like him for who he is."

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Justine. "I thought you were trying to take him back."

"I was, but I don't really know what I want anymore."

Bonnie sat down on the floor opposite Justine's crate. She immediately regretted the decision as she lifted her palms up, finding them covered in dust. "All I know is that Brick's been all mopey and annoying since the two of you had your fight."

"So what, you're giving up?"

Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "I don't give up, Justine. If I decided to take him, Brick would be mine. I guess I just don't think he really wants to be with me. He likes you. It's hideously freaky, but there you go. But you have to show him that liking you isn't a bad idea, and you've been doing a bad job of that so far."

"So, you're not going to try to break us apart or turn Brick against me anymore?"

"No," said Bonnie as she pursed her lips. "But if you take forever, I'm not making any promises. Like I said, I took Brick for granted, and he's a nice guy. I might not make the same mistake next time."

Justine nodded.

"Alright," said Bonnie, "I'm getting out of here. This dust _has_ to be bad for my complexion."

Justine stood up from the crate and followed behind Bonnie as they opened the door of the janitor's closet and stepped back out into the hallway. Several students standing outside the closet backed up, as if they had been listening at the door. One of them grinned.

"Coming out of the closet, huh ladies?"

Justine and Bonnie exchanged a look with each other.

"Boys."

Bonnie walked to her locker in order to exchange some books before she was late for her next class, while Justine left in the opposite direction. Bonnie was beginning to realize that she and Brick were not right for each other, and felt guilty enough that she wanted to point Justine in the right direction. Still, she couldn't believe what she had just done. Having a conscience was such a drag.

As she put one of her books away, Bonnie noticed a photograph taped to the inside of her locker door.

Two people stood in the photograph. Brick, dressed in his football uniform, wrapped an enormous arm around Bonnie in her cheerleading outfit. The girl in the photograph had a huge grin on her face. Bonnie remembered when she took the photograph with Brick, just hours after she had passed the Middleton High School cheerleading tryouts. She had sneaked the outfit out of the gym, narrowly avoiding Mr. Barkin, in order to take the picture with Brick. The photograph brought back memories of the day it was taken. Bonnie remembered it being a good day.

She considered taking the photograph off of her locker door, but decided against it. It was now a part of her past, but perhaps some parts of the past were worth keeping.

XX

Brick walked down a bone-white hallway that smelled of antiseptic. Hospital orderlies wheeled an empty gurney past him, and he walked by a few doctors sitting on a bench as they exchanged comments over a clipboard that they were inspecting. School was out for the day, and Brick had decided to take a walk to the Middleton Medical Center. It was a long walk, but he had no other afternoon plans.

A flash of bright red hair caught Brick's attention from the other side of a glass window. Brick stopped and looked inside; it was Kim's mother, Anne Possible. She was in an operating room, standing with several other doctors around an operating table. Anne looked up and saw Brick standing outside. She motioned for him to come in.

"Hello Brick!"

"Hey Mrs. Possible. What's up?"

"Oh, we're just prepping to operate on Mr. Fenster here. How was your day at school?"

Brick shrugged. "Not bad, I guess."

"Something wrong?"

"Oh, just some relationship troubles I guess."

Brick felt awkward making small talk with Kim's mother while a man lay on the operating table, drugged and about to have his brain invaded by metal instruments. He wondered if this was standard hospital operating procedure.

"I'm not intruding, am I?"

"Not at all, Brick. As long as you don't cough on Mr. Fenster's head after we open him up!" laughed Anne. Brick was surprised that Kim's mother would have such a morbid sense of humor. "If you're ever in a bad mood, you're welcome to come over to our house. We'd love to have you over again, and I know Kim and Ron enjoy hanging out with you."

"Thanks Mrs. Possible. I'll hang with you guys sometime, for sure. But I actually came to the hospital because I wanted to talk to Justine Flanner's mom. I heard she works here?" Brick remembered that Justine had mentioned to him over dinner that her mother worked at the hospital.

"Oh yes, Leona. She's at the end of the hall, room 114."

"Thanks. I'll let you get back to your brain stuff."

Brick walked back out into the hall as Kim's mother brandished what looked like a carving knife. Brick was fairly sure that he didn't want to see a neurosurgeon in action. Before long, a door marked '114' stared him down at the end of the hall. Brick had taken some time to make up his mind, and he knew that if he wanted things to go forward, he needed to talk to Justine's parents. Specifically, he got the impression that he needed to talk to her mother.

Brick gave the door a faltering knock.

"Yes? Come in."

Brick eased the door open. Justine's mother was sitting inside at her desk. She looked up from a pile of papers with a severe expression.

"Hey Mrs. Flanner."

"Brick," Leona observed. "I'm a little busy Brick, this is my work day."

"I just wanted to talk to you about Justine."

Leona sighed. "Alright. Come in."

Brick entered the room and sat down in a chair, facing Justine's mother across the desk. Leona gathered some of the papers on her desk into a bundle and tapped them together a few times to straighten them. After putting the papers down neatly in front of her, she stared at Brick expectantly. Brick was silent.

"Well?"

The silence was broken. "I know you don't like me, Mrs. Flanner."

"Why do you say that?"

"Just the impression I get."

"I see," said Leona as she leaned back in her chair.

"I came here because I wanted to say I like Justine. We have our differences, but I think we can work through them. Except it's going to be hard if her parents are against me. So I wanted to know, what is it that you don't like about me?"

Leona had not expected to be put on the spot. She shifted uncomfortably.

"It's not that I don't like you, Brick." When Leona was actually asked to state her problem with Brick, she found it hard to put it clearly into words. "It's just that my daughter is someone who is going places. She's going straight to the top. She's already done some great things, and I don't want to see her held down.

"I'm sure you have your own interests, Brick," she said in an attempt to be diplomatic, "and they're fine, but Justine is a very busy person. She already has college planned out. She's got a plan for her whole life. I'm worried about what your priorities are."

Brick nodded. "I get what you mean. That's part of why I like Justine, Mrs. Flanner – she's so smart, she does so much awesome stuff. It kind of inspires me. And she makes me feel like I can do awesome things too. At least, she usually makes me feel that way. But I can tell you I'm not gonna hold her down. I want her to do what she wants, to go to college and be famous. More famous than she already is. I'm not gonna get in the way of that."

"And this whole situation with that Ape Knuckle character, Monkey Palm, whatever his name was," continued Leona. "It worried me. I don't like to see Justine in danger."

"I'm sorry about letting Monkey Fist know where you lived," said Brick. "I should have seen that he was a sketchy dude when I first saw him at school. But he was looking for Justine already, you know. He would have found your house easily. It's not my fault that he was looking for her – it's because Justine is such an amazing inventor. Justine's intelligence is what got Monkey Fist interested in her, and her intelligence is what you're so proud of. That's what puts her in danger. I know that sucks, but you can't prevent that."

Leona realized that Brick was right. She had been blaming Brick for the break in, but he didn't really have much to do with it. Leona supposed she hadn't stopped to think about the incident more clearly.

"I know you have Justine grounded, but I was wondering if I could start seeing her again after school. I know she went to that Robot Rumble against your will, and I'm sorry I didn't try to convince her to just skip it, but – hope you don't mind me saying it – Justine isn't exactly a kid anymore. I don't know if grounding her is really going to make anything better, you know?"

"I don't think you need to be telling me how to raise my daughter, Brick."

"Sorry, I don't mean it like that. But it's kind of like something I noticed on when I was still quarterback on the football team – if you tell people not to act a certain way, or not to do something, but you don't really try to figure out why they're doing it, sometimes they just get more resentful and keep doing the same thing."

Leona stared at Brick for a moment. She had been a little angry when Brick had come into her office while she was in the middle of her work day, but then she wondered if she her reaction would have been any more positive if Brick had stopped by their house. Leona knew that something had happened between Brick and her daughter at the Robot Rumble, judging by the way Justine had acted when she got back from the contest that evening. Perhaps Brick didn't want to go to their house because he wasn't ready to talk to Justine yet.

"Brick, I have to get some work done here. But I'll think about what you've said."

"Thanks, Mrs. Flanner. That's all I wanted."

Brick was about to leave the office, but turned around in the doorway. "By the way, have you fixed that broken window and the hole in your living room wall yet?"

"No."

"Well, my dad has a lot of experience in construction and repairs, things like that. He'll work cheap, too. If you need somebody to help out, he's your man."

Leona couldn't help but smile at the awkward addendum to their conversation.

"Thank you, Brick. I'll keep that in mind."

Brick nodded and left the office, closing the door quietly behind him. Leona looked at her neatly folded pile of paperwork and felt distracted. Brick's appearance had been a surprise. His little speech had been even more surprising. Leona had been given a lot to keep in mind.


	19. Intercepted

**Intercepted**

XX

Leona Flanner walked beside her husband down a cracked sidewalk. She could smell freshly mowed grass and blossoming flowers as they passed by their neighbors' homes. Leona and Ted were enjoying a Sunday afternoon walk, partly because it wasn't too hot outside, and partly because Leona had wanted the opportunity to talk to her husband outside of the house, without Justine around.

"Looks like rain," Ted Flanner said as he looked up at the sky. Their walk had been pleasant, but the sky was taking on a fuzzy gray tone as a few darker clouds gathered on the horizon.

Leona nodded absently. "Brick visited me at work on Friday."

"Oh?" Ted sounded surprised.

"He wanted to talk about Justine. He seemed to think that I disliked him."

Ted nodded. "Don't you?"

Leona was slightly flustered by Ted's comment. "I don't know. Maybe I've been suspicious of him. He just doesn't seem like a match for Justine."

"So what did he say to you at work?"

"He claimed that he did not want to hold Justine down, and that I didn't have to worry about whether or not he was going to get in the way of her future. And he asked us not to punish Justine more for sneaking off to the Robot Rumble while we were gone. He said that grounding her wasn't a good idea."

"Oh?" Ted laughed. "That's a bit direct."

"Well, perhaps I'm paraphrasing a little."

"Why do you think he said that?"

"I'm sure he wants to hang out with Justine after school more."

Leona stared at the sidewalk cracks as they passed beneath her feet. She tried to walk in a pattern so that her steps aligned with the cracks at regular intervals. It was not a compulsion, but just a simple challenge for herself as she walked along. Whenever she went somewhere with her daughter, Leona noticed that it was something Justine did as well.

"Do you think he has a point, though?"

Leona looked up at her husband. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Ted said, "we haven't really done anything about her sneaking off yet. She was already grounded, so what else can we do?"

Leona nodded. It was true that they were both somewhat flummoxed at Justine's impudence. Getting two detentions was strange enough for their daughter, but sneaking out of the house to go to a contest when she was grounded was unprecedented.

All of this was new to Leona; she did not know how to deal with Justine, or why her daughter was acting out in the way that she was. Brick seemed like the catalyst, but then yesterday Brick had made it sound like sneaking out to the contest was Justine's idea, and that he regretted going to the contest with her in the first place. Leona was glad that her husband seemed to share in her uncertainty about how to deal with Justine's behavior.

"You know, Leona, maybe we're overreacting to all this. Getting detention is not good, but in terms of Brick Flagg, he seems like a nice enough fellow. I was hoping that Justine would find someone a little more academically oriented, but she could do worse. And it's nice to see her dating. Maybe that means we'll have grandkids someday."

"With Brick?" Leona sounded incredulous.

"Well, not necessarily. I meant in general. You know you can't have grandkids if she spends _all_ her time studying and working."

"I suppose..."

"Not to mention that her grades may have slipped a little, but she's still making A's in all her subjects. That's not perfect, but it's close. She's done so much in physics already, perhaps we're holding her to irrelevant standards when it comes to schoolwork."

Leona begrudgingly admitted that her husband had a point, but she was surprised to hear these things from him. "Why are you saying all this now?" she asked. "I thought you agreed with me about punishing Justine, and about Brick?"

Ted shrugged. "I did think that Justine needed to be punished, but I wonder if we're going about it the wrong way. Maybe we need to communicate with her more. As for not mentioning all this earlier, I guess I needed some time to think about it." Ted began to grin. "And, don't hurt me for saying this honey, but you can be a little bit scary sometimes."

Leona was about to take offense at the comment, but Ted nudged her playfully in the ribs. She couldn't help but smile. Her husband may have been joking, but Leona knew that she could be a little overbearing on occasion. It was not something she was going to apologize for – her attitude was an attitude one needed in life to get things done, to stand up for oneself. But, she knew that others could sometimes find her attitude difficult to deal with.

Leona and her husband had walked around the block, and now they were returning to their own part of the neighborhood. Their house, with a crude plastic tarp still plastered over the broken living room window, was further down the sidewalk. Leona shook her head at the sight. They would have to repair that window before the neighbors started complaining about the eyesore, she thought. Maybe Brick's father would come in handy.

"So what do you think we should do?" asked Leona as they approached the house.

"Honestly, I don't think Justine is going to leave home and join a biker gang anytime soon," said Ted. "She's obviously going through some changes in her life, but she's still our Justine. I think it would be best just to talk to her, let her know how we feel, and then let her do what she wants."

XX

Justine sat in bed with her back propped against a pillow. She had been up for a few hours already in order to get a little homework done, but she was not able to focus on the textbook. Closing the book and throwing it off the side of the bed, Justine looked around her room. Various trophies and awards perched on her bookshelves, some of which were topped by small figures dressed in lab coats. The figures stared at her, as if silently asking why she was so interested in them.

The memory of Brick's expression as he left the Robot Rumble hung like dead weight in her mind. She had been thinking about Brick all weekend, about how she felt about him, whether or not things could work out between them. She was beginning to come to a conclusion.

Yesterday night, Justine had even left the television on a sports station while she was flipping channels, and watched part of a football game. Her mother had walked by and given her a strange look after noticing what was playing on the television. Perhaps Justine was trying to figure out what Brick saw in the sport. She knew that the Mad Dogs would be playing against the Lowerton Lemurs later in the afternoon, but Brick was not on the team anymore. Justine wondered if he was disappointed about missing the game.

Justine's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening downstairs. Earlier, Justine's parents had yelled up to her from downstairs that they were going out for a little walk. Justine was glad they were back; she decided it was time to talk to them.

"Hey Justine," her mother yelled from downstairs, "we'd like to talk to you!"

Justine got out of bed and marched down the stairway, finding her parents waiting for her in the living room.

Her mother and father sat on the couch together and motioned for Justine to sit in a chair opposite them. "We just wanted to-"

"No, I wanted to talk to you two first," interrupted Justine, folding her arms.

Her parents fell silent.

Justine decided it was best to get it all out at once. "I know you guys don't like Brick, but you're going to have to deal with the fact that I like him. He's a nice guy, he's not a bad influence on me, and maybe he's not your idea of an ideal boyfriend for me, but I'm going to keep dating him. You have to accept that.

"Now, I'm sorry I got those detentions, and I'm sorry that I've been hiding things from you and going against you. I want to be honest with you and tell you everything that happens to me, and I'm going to try to do that more. It's just that you guys can make it hard sometimes, the way you expect me to be perfect, so I wasn't sure how to deal with it."

Leona tried to interject. "Sweetie, we don't expect you to be-"

"That's another thing," continued Justine. "I'm not perfect. I know you guys think Brick is dumb and all, but he's a lot better at dealing with people than I am, for instance. I am proud of what I've done in my life, but maybe I don't want to spend my whole life doing nothing but physics research. Maybe I want to try other things! I feel like I've done enough already that I deserve that, at least. Just because I'm being more social doesn't mean I'm going to skip college or fail out of high school. I just want more in my life."

Justine ran out of things to say. She had no idea how her parents were going to respond; her body felt tense with anticipation. At the same time, she was relieved to have said it all. It needed to come out.

Leona opened her mouth to speak, but paused. She stared at her husband. Ted nodded quietly, as if encouraging her to continue.

"Okay," said Leona.

Justine waited for more, but nothing came.

"What?"

"I think everything you said is fair," said Leona. "You're not going to get anymore detentions, are you?"

"No, I won't."

"And you really will talk to us more in the future about things?"

"Yes."

"And you're not going to join a biker gang?"

Justine stared. "Uh, no... were you expecting me to?"

"Not really," said her mother with a shrug.

It seemed that no one had anything left to say, and Justine and her parents stared at each other in awkward silence for a moment. Justine had not expected her parents to react so simply to her outburst. Not wanting to try to force herself to do anymore homework, Justine decided to press her luck.

"So, can I go see Brick right now? I'd really like to talk to him about a few things."

Leona looked at her husband again, who prodded her encouragingly.

"I suppose so. Do you have your homework done?"

Justine shook her head. "Almost. It will be done tonight."

"Alright then," sighed Leona. "Just don't be gone long."

Justine smiled and dashed out of the front door before her parents could change their minds.

Leona watched her daughter disappear and sank back on the couch. She glanced at her husband. "So, what are the odds on her leaving to join a motorcycle gang?"

"Pretty likely," laughed Ted.

Leona smiled and leaned against her husband's shoulder. She considered turning on the television, but decided she wanted to enjoy the silence for a little while. A cool breeze brushed against her own shoulder, sneaking inside through the broken living room window. The tarp fluttered a little in the wind; Ted had been right. It did look like rain was coming.

"We really need to repair that window," said Ted as he stared at the tarp. "The hole in the wall, too."

Leona nodded.

"Brick told me about someone who could help us with that."

XX

Monkey Fist twirled in a wheeled office chair in the center of Amy's laboratory. His monkey minions were gathered around him, practicing various ninja moves on each other. The lab was certainly no replacement for a dojo – occasionally one of his minion's punches or kicks would miss their mark, crashing into a computer terminal and causing Amy to look up in consternation from her games with Cuddledactyl.

The creature had grown freakishly large in a short period of time – only a few days ago it had been the size of a toddler, but now it was noticeably larger and bulkier than either Amy or Monkey Fist. And that wasn't even counting its wingspan. The creature had mastered the power of flight, but as large and spacious as the laboratory was, it did not offer a lot of airspace for the creature to practice flying. Amy was itching to let her Cuddledactyl outside and give it more space to fly around, but Monkey Fist did not want anyone sighting a horrendous genetic gargoyle hybrid quite yet. Their opportunity to put the creature to the test would soon arrive.

Almost as if in sync with Monkey Fist's thoughts, one of the henchmen he had hired from Jack Hench walked up to the central laboratory platform. Monkey Fist had noticed that, while his massive monkey robot looked nearly complete, construction had been slowing down to a crawl, and there had been a surge in head-scratching amongst Jack Hench's hired help. It looked like there was a problem.

"Sir," the henchman said, "I'm afraid we're kind of stuck."

"Stuck?" said Monkey Fist. "On what?"

"We've tried building the attack droid to specifications, based on the blueprints you gave us and the smaller robot model, but we're hitting a brick wall. It's just too complex. Whoever this Justine Flanner girl is who designed the robot, she's a genius. We don't know how to give it the level of mobility that it's supposed to have, and we can't figure out how to finish the user controls that would let you pilot the droid."

Monkey Fist nodded. If the henchmen had been able to build the robot on their own, that would have been a bonus, but he had been expecting to run into problems. It was unlikely that Jack Hench would be giving away prodigies in robotic technology for such a cheap price, after all.

"Very well. You and your fellow workers may take a short break."

Despite the not-so-unexpected holdup, Monkey Fist was feeling magnanimous. It was time to get the ball rolling. He got out of his swiveling chair and walked over to the part of the lab where Amy was playing with her pet. The pet in question was now large enough to bowl Amy over when it leaped at her. Monkey Fist thought it was fortunate that the creature didn't see Amy as food.

"Oh, Amy," he said as his girlfriend threw a bite of Bueno Nacho take-out to the creature, which caught it in mid-flight and perched on top of a server stack to chow down.

"Yes, Monty?"

"I think it's time your pet played a game of fetch."

XX

"Yeah, I'll be there soon. Thanks!"

Mason hung up the phone with a smile. He had not been expecting a call from Justine Flanner's parents offering him some temporary work, but he was glad he had gotten it. Mason went into the garage and rummaged around for some carpentry materials, grabbing his toolbox and a tape measurer as well. He doubted he would do any actual work this afternoon – Mason needed to appraise the Flanners' situation first and give them an estimate – but it was still work.

Brick had already left to go see the Mad Dogs play the Lowerton Lemurs. His son had asked him to come along, and Mason had wanted to, but he had been planning to go out looking for a job again. Mason did not want to fall back into his lazy habits, so he told Brick to update him on the game when they spent some time together later in the evening. It was a good thing Mason had declined to go, since a work opportunity had just fallen into his lap.

The phone rang again before Mason had even left the kitchen. Busy day, he thought. Mason picked up the phone and answered.

"Yes, who is it?"

An English voice replied. "Hello, I'd like to speak to Brick Flagg?"

"He's at the Middleton Mad Dogs football game right now, sorry. Can I take a message?"

"No, that's alright. I'll get in touch with him later, I'm sure."

The man on the other end hung up. Mason shrugged; a bit of a strange call, but it was time to get to the Flanner residence. He would mention it to Brick when his son got back from the game.

Mason walked into the garage threw his supplies into the back of his truck. He was about to pull out of the garage when he heard another vehicle pulling into his driveway outside. Wondering who it was, Mason opened the garage door and stepped outside. A familiar blonde girl stepped out of the car that was parked in his driveway.

"Hi Justine. How's it going?"

"Hey Mr. Flagg. It's going alright. I was wondering if Brick is home?"

"Afraid not. He went to the game over at Middleton High School."

Justine nodded. "Oh. Thanks. I guess I'll try to catch him there, then."

She turned to leave, but Mason caught her attention before she went back into the car.

"Hey, Justine?"

"Yes?"

"Did you tell your parents about me being in construction?"

"Yes, I did."

Mason smiled. "Well, it looks like I'm going over there now to check out your messed up living room, see if I can do anything about it. I guess you got me a job, so thanks."

"You're welcome."

Mason watched Justine curiously as she stood awkwardly beside her car. His son had told him a little bit about what happened between the two of them, and he wondered why she wanted to talk to Brick now.

"You know, my son likes you quite a bit, Justine."

"Really?"

Mason nodded. "I dunno exactly what's going on between you two, or what you're gonna go talk to him about – it's probably not any of my business – but I think you've been good for him. I hope you two work things out."

Justine nodded to Brick's father and thought about what he said.

"I hope so too."

The air felt muggy, and distant thunder echoed through the deepening gray canvas above her. It looked like a bad day to have a football game. Justine got back into her car and turned the ignition. She waved to Brick's father from the open car window while she pulled out of his driveway.

XX

Monkey Fist stood beside his girlfriend in her well-tended back yard. The Cuddledactyl stood beside them, sniffing the air in a predatory manner. The creature was so large that it had actually broken the frame on Amy's back door as it tried to squeeze through. Monkey Fist didn't know why Amy hadn't included some kind of alternative entrance to her lair, but at least the creature could leave the house.

Monkey Fist had called the Flanner residence a few minutes ago and was surprised to find that Justine was not at home. After discovering that Justine had left to meet with her boyfriend, Monkey Fist had been forced to call the Flagg residence. Brick's father had told Monkey Fist that his son was attending a football game at Middleton High School. Monkey Fist had been annoyed by the runaround at first, but in fact, if Justine was at the football game, that made things even easier.

Very quaint, Monkey Fist thought. Attending the high school American Football game for a little date.

Amy patted her pet on its back and motioned up into the air.

"Fly, my cutie, fly!" she said as the Cuddledactyl began to beat its wings powerfully. "Fly, fly, fly!"

Monkey Fist watched the creature rise into the air, making its way up into a soupy sky.

XX

Brick groaned and held his head in his hands as a thundering chorus of boos rose up from the crowd around him. The Middleton Mad Dogs were not doing well. Down on the field, Brick could see Eddie Jackson and Steve Farley gathering on the sidelines with the rest of their team. Brick assumed that Steve must have been added to the team at the last minute to fill in the missing position Brick had created. The two of them – along with the rest of the team – were being given the full brunt of Mr. Barkin's bellowing during one of their time outs. The scoreboard read 14 to 0.

"Not looking so hot, huh?" asked Monique. She was sitting next to Brick, watching the game with him from the stands. Monique looked up at the sky, which had been thundering for several minutes, as the first drops of rain began to fall.

"Nope. It doesn't look like they've taken enough time to memorize their plays. The Lemurs keep getting through their defense, but they should be easy to hold back. Steve isn't doing well either, but he's not a football player so it's not really his fault."

"I guess it's your fault," teased Monique with a mischievous smirk.

Brick grinned. "Hey now, it's not like I quit the team the day before the game. They had time to think about this stuff!"

Brick knew Monique was joking, but he couldn't help but wonder how the Mad Dogs would be doing if he was still on the team. During a few bad plays, Brick had almost felt the urge to run down on the field himself and tell the players what to do.

Brick watched as the Middleton Mad Dog cheerleading squad tried to rouse the fans' spirits. With the worrisome score and the prospect of a torrent of rain coming down at any moment, rousing anyone's spirits was a lot to ask. Bonnie and Tara formed a solid second level of a pyramid, while Kim leaped to the top.

"Go... Mad Dogs! Go, go, Mad Dogs!" the cheerleaders chanted in unison.

Brick watched as the time out ended and the players fell back into their places on the field. It was the Mad Dogs' ball, but the Lowerton Lemurs were blocking their every play. The Mad Dogs actually lost some yardage on one ill-timed attempt to pass the ball sideways. They huddled together, discussing their next move, as a crack of thunder split through the air, this time much closer. The rain, which had previously just been a sprinkle, began to fall down more heavily.

"Great," said Monique. "Nobody told me I was gonna need an umbrella!"

The Mad Dogs broke out of their huddle and went into position along the line of scrimmage, staring down their opponents. The crowd of Middleton spectators fell silent – only a few of the Lemurs' fans were in attendance – as the clock commenced.

"One, two, three, set Hut!"

The ball was snapped and the Mad Dogs ran out into their play positions, struggling for an opening to take a pass from the quarterback. Eddie Jackson backed up to throw the ball, and Brick could already see that things did not look good – none of Eddie's teammates were clear. A particularly scary-looking Lemurs player barreled towards Eddie, and he flung the ball away at the last moment. One of Eddie's teammates leaped up to try and catch the wild pass, but another Lemur player appeared in front of him. It was an interception.

The Mad Dogs ran after the Lowerton Lemurs player, but he had already gained too many yards for them to have any chance of catching him. The audience groaned as he completed a massive touchdown run. Eddie Jackson sank to the ground in the middle of the field as Mr. Barkin raised his hands up in exasperation. The scoreboard raised the Lowerton Lemurs to 21. Rain beat down on the discouraged fans in the stands.

"Brick!"

Brick heard the voice over the groans of the fans. He looked around and finally stood up to see where it was coming from, even though he already knew who it was. She was standing on the steps at the end of their row, waving to him. It was Justine.

"Justine!"

Justine adjusted her hair band as she saw her boyfriend stand up amongst the spectators in the stands. She noticed that Monique was sitting beside him and felt a slight tinge of jealousy, but it dissipated when she noticed Monique motion to her, pat Brick on the back, and give him a thumbs up.

Either way, it did not matter who Brick was attending the game with. Justine had come to say what she needed to say, and nothing would stop her. She watched as Brick picked his way through the row of fans to get closer to her. His musclebound arm reached up and slicked back his blond hair. The rain had soaked through his white T-shirt, outlining his chiseled body.

Brick was positively glistening.

"Why are you at the game?" asked Brick.

"I came to see you."

Justine had not brought an umbrella. She hoped that her own outfit was not quite as revealing as what Brick was wearing. Although the game was still going, she sensed that several people in the stands were staring at her and Brick, wondering why they were talking in the middle of the steps.

"Brick, I'm sorry about what happened at the Robot Rumble. I was wrong to blame you for losing, and I treated you badly. We should have been having fun."

Brick nodded. "I gotta agree with you there."

"I've been thinking over the past few days, and I realized that I need you, Brick. I like being with you, I like getting out of my shell and being more social because of you, and I like the way you treat me. With other people, a lot of the time it's like I'm always trying to be the best at everything. My whole life has been all about being the best. But with you, I'm happy being myself. I can just be Justine."

Brick nodded. There was a murmur coming from the stands around him – for some reason, Brick imagined that it was in response to Justine's speech, although a few fingers amongst the crowd pointed out towards the football field. However, Brick was not paying much attention to the field.

"I like being with you too, Justine. I don't think anyone's ever made me feel like I could do anything the way that you do. I guess my dad does sometimes, but I don't want to go out with him. He's not a girl. I mean, he's my dad. Wait, that's not what I meant. Like, it's different with him." Brick realized his explanation was getting worse the more he tried to explain it. "You know what I mean?"

Justine laughed. "I know what you mean."

There were a few scattered shouts from the crowd, and someone said something about the Mad Dog's mascot, but Brick and Justine felt themselves becoming lost in each other's eyes. Brick took a step closer to his girlfriend.

"I think we can work things out, Justine. I wanna work things out."

"I want to do that too. Brick, I think I -"

They were interrupted by a scream.

"Oh my God! It's the Lowerton Lemurs' mascot!"

A shadow dropped over both of them. Brick was about to lean forward and kiss his girlfriend when, before he had time to leap back in surprise, she was jerked into the air by a malevolent black shape. Scattered screams broke out from the crowd as Brick looked up in shock.

"Justine!"

His girlfriend was being lifted into the air by a bird – no, not a bird. And certainly not the Lowerton Lemurs mascot. Brick had no idea what it was, and the rain was obscuring his vision, but it had a vast wingspan. The creature looked like it was at least two or three times his size. A hideous, inhuman face glanced back at him for a split second as the creature flapped its leathery wings through the air. A face with a mouth like that of a lamprey, jagged teeth jutting inwards. Eyes like that of an insect. Powerful legs ending in clawed feet, and another set of smaller clawed hands attached to its bat-like wings.

The crowd stared in horror. Monique joined Brick's side as she watched Justine being carried away into the cloud-matted sky. The creature grasped Justine in one of its feet, large claws wrapped around her waist. She was alive, but there was no way she could be enjoying the ride.

Brick noticed that the creature was holding another figure in its other foot.

XX

Justine had screamed in terror for several moments after she realized what was going on, but she was calming down a little, now that she realized that was not in immediate danger of being eaten by the thing carrying her. Wind and rain whipped against her face as the flying beast wove its way through the air to an unknown destination. She looked at the other passenger hanging from the creature's adjacent claws.

"Any idea what's going on, Ron?"

Ron Stoppable shook his head. "Nah."

"Does this kind of thing happen to you and Kim often?"

Ron looked pensive.

"No," he said after a moment of consideration. "This is the first time I've gotten kidnapped by a giant pterodactyl-type thing. Pretty sure, anyway."

Justine sighed. And just when things were beginning to look up for her.

"Don't worry about it, Justine. I'm a little terrified right now, but at least we're still alive. It could be worse." His pants suddenly came undone and dropped off his body, sailing towards the ground far below them. Ron groaned.

"Okay, I was asking for that."

"Kim saw what happened, right?"

"Oh, I'm sure," said Ron. "KP will save us. Never fear!"

Justine nodded as she felt the creature's curved talons pressing against her waist. She hoped Ron was right.

XX

* * *

_And now the story goes on indefinite hiatus._

_Haha, just kidding. As you can see, however, it's approaching the final act. Reviews are welcome! :)  
_


	20. To the Rescue

**To the Rescue**

XX

Brick stood in shock, watching blankly as the massive gargoyle-like beast flapped away from the stadium with two forlorn figures hanging from its claws. Mottled wings melded with the sky's stormy landscape as the creature increased its distance. It was almost impossible to see the creature against the wall of storm clouds that ringed the stadium.

Monique gaped up at the sky beside Brick. "Was that Ron in its other claw?" she asked.

"Looked like it."

Brick wiped rainwater from his eyes and looked down at the field. The two football teams had stopped playing, and the cheerleaders had stopped cheering. They were all milling about absently, looking as confused as the game's audience about what had just happened. Brick noticed Kim searching frantically around the bottom of the stands.

"Hey Monique, I gotta go. Looks like it's mission time."

"Gotcha. Be careful, Brick!"

Brick waved goodbye to Monique as he ran down the stairs between sections of spectators. The crowds around him were pulsing with nervous shouts and conversations. Brick was surprised that people had not leaped up in terror as soon as they spotted the creature, although an increasing amount of people were now pouring out of their seats.

"Hey, Kim!"

Brick reached the bottom of the stands and motioned to Kim in order to get her attention over the increasing noise of the crowd. Kim had been calling Ron's name out, but she ran over when she noticed Brick.

"Brick, what happened? I saw that thing in the air, and I can't find Ron!"

Brick noticed Rufus perched on Kim's shoulder and pointing wildly to the sky, but Kim seemed to be too excited to notice what Rufus was doing. Brick supposed the naked mole rat must have leaped from Ron's pocket to avoid being kidnapped along with him.

"It looked like the creature took Ron," said Brick. "It took Justine too."

Rufus slapped a tiny paw to his head. "Mmm, duh!"

Bonnie parted from the rest of the cheerleaders and approached the two of them, brushing her sopping wet hair out of her eyes. "I can't believe this! They don't postpone the game when it's going to pour, and now we get attacked by the Lowerton Lemurs mascot. And why would the Lowerton Lemurs want to kidnap Stoppable, anyways? Don't they know how valuable I'd be as the head cheerleader for their team?"

Brick groaned. "It wasn't the Lemurs' mascot, Bonnie. It was some kind of creature, and it took Justine and Ron."

Bonnie grumbled. "Well, that kinda sucks, I guess."

Kim, who had been ignoring the conversation, was talking to Wade on the Kimmunicator. "Where's it going?" she asked.

"I don't know. Don't worry though, I'm able to track it with Ron's microchip implant, we'll know exactly where that thing is going as long as it's holding on to him."

Brick sidled up to Kim and looked at the Kimmunicator. "Isn't that unethical?"

Wade and Kim rolled their eyes in concert. "Yes."

"So we gotta follow this thing, right?"

Kim nodded. "Got any rides lined up, Wade?"

"It's going to be hard to get anything quickly in this weather, especially a plane. Either of you guys have cars?"

Brick and Kim both shook their heads, but Brick had an idea. "Justine has a car. I can find it in the parking lot pretty easily, as long as one of you guys knows how to hot-wire it."

Wade crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back in his chair. "No problem."

"Alright, let's move!"

Kim and Brick turned towards the parking lot only to find themselves blocked off by a wall of people coming out of the stands in the same direction. Kim was definitely not getting the decisive start to the rescue operation that she had been hoping for. She pried her way through the crowd in exasperation.

"Grr! Move!" Rufus squeaked from her shoulder.

"Brick, use your ridiculously large arms to plow a path for us here."

"Can do!"

XX

Mason drew the yellow tape back into his tape measurer after inspecting the hole in the Flanners' living room wall. He stood back and gave it another once-over, while Ted and Leona Flanner stood in the living room and watched him. They were silent, and Mason had also been silent for the last few minutes while he was inspecting the damage. The only sound in the room was the patter of rain against the plastic tarp still covering the broken living room window.

The edges of the hole were completely flat and clean-cut, as if someone had surgically removed a section of the wall, although some plaster had fallen from the ceiling due to some structural weakness exacerbated by the missing wall section. Mason had never seen anything like it. As he looked over the shape of the hole, it seemed vaguely familiar to him. Almost like it was the shape of a car's cross-section.

"How did you say this happened, again?"

Leona Flanner glanced at her husband and spoke up. "We think someone drove a car into the living room somehow and made the hole in the wall. There were tire marks on the carpet when we first came back to the house from work and found it like this. That was a little while ago."

Mason nodded, although the explanation still didn't make much sense. If a car had gone completely through the wall, he would expected more ragged edges, more cracks and buckling in the wall. Mason shrugged; he had seen stranger things in Middleton.

"Well, this looks doable," he said as he put the measurer back in his toolbox. "I don't think the price should be a problem either, I'll do it pretty cheap since we have a personal connection, what with our kids and all. Speaking of which, I saw your daughter earlier today. She was on her way to see Brick."

"Oh?" Leona motioned to a chair in the living room for Mason to sit down as she went into the kitchen to get some refreshments.

"Yeah. She's a good girl. Pretty accomplished for her age, too. She sure puts me to shame, anyways."

Leona returned from the kitchen with a tray of drinks. "That is true. Justine has done a lot in her life already."

Leona sat down on the couch to chat with Mason, and her husband followed suit. Unfortunately, Leona had no idea what to talk about with Mason; he did not look like the type of person who would be interested in the latest advancements in medical science. She knew that Brick was a football player, however, and that Mason had played the sport himself in the past. She decided to make an effort, for her daughter's sake.

"Brick is a nice boy as well. Has he, um... made a lot of the touchdowns?"

Mason stared at her in confusion for a moment. "Brick? Yeah. Yeah, he makes touchdowns sometimes."

"Ah, that's wonderful."

Leona felt an impending lull in the conversation. No, she thought. Not when it had barely even started yet. This was torture!

"So how about that game?"

"Which game?"

She turned to Ted for help, but Leona realized that she had no idea which game she was referring to. Disaster was narrowly averted by the sound of Mason's cell phone ringing.

"Uh, excuse me just a sec," said Mason as he got out of the chair and held the phone to his ear. "Hello? Oh, hey Brick, what's up?" As Mason listened to the phone, his expression underwent a marked change. "What?"

Leona watched Mason's reaction suspiciously.

"That's not good."

Mason paced around the room as the conversation continued. "Oh, you are? Alright, good." He glanced at Leona and Ted. "Yeah, I'll tell them," he said before flipping the phone shut and returning it to his pocket.

Justine's parents stared at Mason.

"Um, that was Brick on the phone. He was at the football game today, the Middleton Mad Dogs versus the Lowerton Lemurs? Pretty close match I think, but lemme tell you, if my Brick was still playing with the Mad Dogs, those Lemurs would have no chance. Anyway," continued Mason, realizing he was getting off track, "apparently Ron Stoppable and your daughter were kidnapped by some kind of flying monster that attacked them during the game."

Leona and Ted nodded slowly until Leona's head froze.

"Wait, what?".

Mason scratched the back of his neck. This was not looking good.

"Justine. She was carried off by some kind of weird gargoyle creature. Don't worry though, Brick is on the case! He'll rescue her in no time."

Mason had nothing to do with what had happened, but somehow he felt like he was being judged. As Justine's parents narrowed their eyes, he had an overwhelming urge to do a great job fixing their living room wall damage.

XX

Justine's car careened through the streets of Middleton as Kim followed Wade's directions. Brick thought Kim was driving a little recklessly, but then, if anybody could get away with driving a little recklessly, he supposed it was Kim Possible. He held the Kimmunicator, letting Kim concentrate on driving while Wade kept them updated on what was going on.

"It's already out of the town limits. Just keep going down that street until you leave town. And try not to run over anybody, Kim."

"Would I do that, Wade?"

The car's right front tire skidded momentarily against the curb.

"Okay, okay, I'll slow down a bit."

Kim slowed the car down as they continued to race down the street towards the town limits. Wade had a lock on Ron's microchip signal, and since Ron was being carried by whatever that thing was, it was just a matter of waiting until it landed somewhere.

"So what are we thinking, DNAmy?" asked Brick. "Based on the freaky monster thing, I mean?"

Kim nodded, her eyes set on the road ahead. "Yeah, that sounds right to me. She must have been taking me and Ron for a ride when we visited her house and she acted like she was all innocent." Kim ground her teeth together at the thought of Amy's deception.

"But Monkey Fist is still involved too, right?"

Wade spoke up from the Kimmunicator. "The two of them must be in cahoots."

Brick tried to hold down a nervous feeling that was overtaking him. He did not want Justine to get hurt – or Ron, for that matter. "Are they going to be okay?"

Kim looked over at her passenger and noticed his expression. She reached over for a moment and squeezed his shoulder with a reassuring hand, keeping an eye on the road.

"Don't worry about it, Brick. We do this kind of thing all the time." Kim reconsidered her statement. "Well, I mean, we don't get attacked by Amy's flying hybrids that often, but Ron gets in trouble a lot. It always works out in the end."

Brick was glad that Kim could maintain a sense of cool in this situation. He had enjoyed their mission to Greece more than this one. It was definitely not as fun when the danger felt more serious, and with the exception of the exploding yacht – which he had been his own fault – the Greek mission had been almost pleasant.

Brick was eager to see Justine again. Talking to her in the stands had felt good – Justine had told him what he wanted to hear. Brick wanted to tell Justine more about how he felt, and how he knew that things could work out between them. They would have the chance to talk more, just as soon as he came to her rescue..

Still, Brick felt like he wanted something to take his mind off the situation while they were pursuing the creature. "Hey Kim," he said, remembering Ron's recent breakup with Tara.

"Yeah?"

"You know, Ron's single now."

Kim watched the road expressionlessly. "And?"

"Well, he's open. In the market, so to speak. Know what I'm saying?" asked Brick with a grin.

He enjoyed teasing Kim, but he was also trying to lighten the tense mood. Rufus, who had been listening to his two human companions, seemed to catch on to Brick's tone. Rufus nudged Kim suggestively with a tiny pink shoulder.

"I told you before, we're just friends."

"Oh, come on. It was so obvious how jealous you were with Tara hanging on him all the time"

Wade interrupted the conversation to tell Kim to turn down a side street in order to correct their direction a little. Kim was silent as she drove down the smaller street. By now, they were out of Middleton.

"It doesn't matter anyway," said Kim. "Ron was with Tara. He's not interested in me. He's a guy, and he's been my friend for this long, and he's never said anything about feeling that way."

Brick understood Kim's perspective, but he felt like she was missing an important point about guys like Ron. "Yeah, sure, but who says Ron is going to say anything to you? He might just be nervous, or maybe he assumes you're not interested in him. I mean, you're Kim Possible. _The_ Kim Possible. You can be a little intimidating to some guys."

Kim frowned. "You think?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm impressed that Ron is able to go on missions with you all the time and be your sidekick without feeling insecure about it. At least, I assume he doesn't. He doesn't act like he's insecure. A lot of guys aren't like that. Like some of the guys on my football team. They want to think they're badasses, you know? They can't be upstaged by a girl."

Kim snorted. "That's a ridiculous attitude."

"I agree, but all I'm saying is that you've got a lot going on. Ron might have a thing for you and just not have the guts to say it. I've known about other guys at school who had a crush on you and figured they had no chance."

Kim's felt her interest rising. "Really? Who?"

"I can't tell you," laughed Brick. "I promised not to. But, if you want one example, I had a bit of a crush on you for a while. Back when Ron ran that story in the news about how you had a crush on me, I was pretty stoked."

Kim blushed. "Well, thanks. You know, I seem to remember that after I rescued you at that old abandoned fairground, you were the one who broke up with me. And we hadn't even been out on a date yet!"

It was Brick's turn to blush. "Yeah well, I was feeling kind of defensive, so I made a bit of a fool out of myself. Anyway, enough avoiding the subject here. There's no way you can know how Ron feels unless you ask him. You gotta put yourself out there!"

"I don't know. Maybe."

Kim glanced at the Kimmunicator that Brick was holding as they drove farther away from Middleton. "Hey Wade, what's the sitch? Where in the world is this thing flying to?"

Wade typed furiously as he spoke to them through the device.

"Uh, this is kind of strange, but it's flying towards Mount Middleton."

"Dude," said Brick. "The same place we went on that skiing trip?"

Kim nodded. "Yep. You think that creature is going to DNAmy's mountain lair, Wade?"

"It must be. We really should have checked that place out earlier. But I could have sworn it got blown up at the end of that class ski trip you guys took."

"Uh, yeah, it definitely was," said Kim. "Maybe Amy's rebuilt it since then. Rebuilding her lair in the exact same place though – not exactly hard to find, is it?"

"Well, don't get too cocky," warned Wade. "We still have to defeat them."

Kim turned from the smaller road onto a highway that eventually led towards the ski resort under Mount Middleton. She drove faster now that the traffic outside Middleton was sparse. Whatever Amy and Monkey Fist had planned for their two captors, they wouldn't have time to carry it out. Kim and Brick would be knocking their door down faster than they could say 'genetic flying hybrid cuddle buddy monster.'

Well, maybe even faster than that.

XX

Ron hurtled out of the sky, letting out a high pitched scream that lost itself in the surrounding storm. The creature was still clutching Ron and Justine in its talons, but it was now dive bombing towards the earth. Apparently they were arriving at their destination.

Ron could barely see – it was well into the evening, and the storm made visibility even worse – but the outlines of rocky mountain crags took shape beneath him. The creature slowed down as it neared the mountain and leveled out its flight, sailing over evergreen trees until it reached a rocky ledge. Justine and Ron were dropped unceremoniously onto the ledge, right in front of a yawning black void that led into the side of the mountain. Ron looked back to see the creature motion at the cave entrance with its head.

"Man, that thing is kinda smart."

Justine had to agree. "Yeah, that is a little creepy."

Ron considered trying to make a break for it, but he had no idea where he and Justine would go, and the creature was blocking their escape route, crowding them tightly towards the cave entrance. Even if they could slip past it, Ron assumed that trying to run from an airborne monster was futile. He and Justine entered the cave, seeing no other options.

The cave was carved with stone steps that led deeper into the mountain. Before long, however, the tunnel narrowed, blocked off with chunks of rock and that had collapsed from the ceiling above. They picked their way through the mess, hearing the creature's sinister breathing behind them. At several points, the creature itself could barely fit past the debris that obstructed them.

Ron risked a glance back as he heard the creature cough a few times.

"Is it just me, or does it sound a little sick?"

"Dunno," shrugged Justine. "Maybe it caught a cold in the storm."

Ron let out a faint laugh, but he was not much in the mood for humor.

As he looked around the tunnel, parts of the steps looked strange to Ron. It was as if they had recently been swept clean. As if someone had cleared the path before they arrived there. They reached the bottom of the tunnel, and Ron realized that he knew exactly where they were. Ron had not recognized the mountain itself when they had first arrived because it was not covered with snow anymore, since it was almost summer, but they were in Mount Middleton. Specifically, DNAmy's old laboratory.

Ron and Justine stood on a metal observation ledge that overlooked a more open area below. A set of green metal access stairs led down from the overlook into the laboratory itself.

"This is DNAmy's old lair," said Ron as he looked around the partially-collapsed laboratory. "Me and Mr. Barkin got dragged here on that school ski trip, when DNAmy wanted to turn us into genetic hybrids, but then this place got blown up. Why are we here?"

"You tell me," said Justine.

The creature grunted and pushed them down the access stairs, into the laboratory sub-level. Much of the room was filled by collapsed rock and broken scientific equipment, but a section of the room was still clear. A single table sat in the middle of the otherwise empty space. On top of the table was a metal box. The boxes only adornment was a glowing red button placed directly on top of it. As Ron looked around the room, he got the impression that someone had cleared it out recently and placed the table there.

"Any idea what that is?" he asked Justine.

"Nope."

Ron felt a smaller pair of claws squeeze painfully into his shoulder, and Justine let out a small gasp beside him. The creature was grasping them with the clawed fingers at the end of its wings. It led them towards the table and lowered its head to the box. The red button glowed in the darkness of the lab, and a film of condensation appeared on it as the creature breathed against it. It lowered its snout and pressed it against the button.

Ron looked around as the silent lab was pierced by an electronic noise that rang out from the box. He was half expecting an explosion – perhaps the creature was some kind of kamikaze monster – but he recognized the noise as soon as he heard it.

It was the sound of a telephone ring.

As the first ring sounded, the laboratory lit up with an eerie green glow that seemed to appear out of thin air, enveloping Ron, Justine and the creature as they stood in front of the strange box. Ron was blinded by the green light. He felt a strange sensation, almost like the sinking feeling he felt in his stomach when a car drove fast over a sudden drop in the road. Ron opened his eyes and looked at the lab.

He scratched his head. This was not the same laboratory.

"Where are we?" asked Justine.

Ron looked around – they were still in a laboratory, but it looked completely different. Nothing was caved in, it was well-lit, and it filled with various pieces of unbroken equipment. More concerning to Ron, however, were the numerous henchmen surrounding them. Ron gulped as he noticed the two figures standing in the center of the laboratory, on some kind of raised control platform. DNAmy and Monkey Fist.

Monkey Fist was holding the Transportulator.

"I got your call," said Monkey Fist. "So nice of you to drop by for a visit." He stepped down from the platform and approached Brick and Justine.

The creature moved past the two of them and flapped its wings, lifting itself into the air briefly as it flew over to the central platform and nuzzled Amy on the cheek. Its wings beat the air into a draft that caused several henchmen to take a few steps back in order to avoid falling over. The creature crouched beside Amy and made a grotesque wheezing noise.

"Aww, Cuddledactyl feeling a little sickie-wickie?" asked Amy.

Ron thought the relationship between Amy and the creature was, as Kim would say, gorchy, but that was not on the top of his list of worries.

"What are you up to, Monkey Fist?"

Ron narrowed his eyes as his arch foe approached. He noticed some kind of hulking, simian robot standing farther away in the lab; perhaps Ron didn't even need to ask.

"Just a little bait and switch." Monkey Fist motioned at some henchmen to grab Ron. "I will need you for some very important work in a moment, Justine, but I'm afraid I'll have to detain you, Stoppable. Can't let that Mystical Monkey Power kick in."

"Oh, it usually doesn't," Ron reassured him.

"Good to hear."

"Not that it matters," added Ron before Monkey Fist got the wrong idea. "KP's gonna be here any minute, and you and your girlfriend will be in for some serious pain."

"I'm afraid not," laughed Monkey Fist. "But I am counting on the fact that Kim Possible wants to save you. She will be arriving at Amy's lair in Mount Middleton. At which point, I believe her problems will really be weighing down on her."

Amy laughed. "Good one, Monty!"

Ron did not understand the joke, but he did not like the sound of it. Several henchmen led him away as Monkey Fist guided Justine towards the monkey-like robot that was standing at the other side of the laboratory. Ron did not see any way to escape their situation, and he didn't even have Rufus with him. It looked like everything was up to Kim now.

XX

The path was a familiar one. Kim remembered the first time she had been here on her snowboard, about to rescue Ron and Mr. Barkin from the clutches of DNAmy. There was no snow this time, but Kim still vaguely recognized her surroundings. The cave that loomed up ahead of them was clearest in her memory.

"Got the signal back, Wade?"

"No, it's still missing. But the creature definitely went into the cave with Ron and Justine. That's where the microchip signal led before it cut off. I'm assuming DNAmy has some kind of signal jamming in place that's interfering with my scanners."

Kim sighed as she approached the cave with Brick. Wade had been following Ron's signal, but it had disappeared about half an hour ago, soon after Wade monitored it traveling inside of the cave. Kim approached the entrance and entered cautiously, motioning to Brick.

"Follow me, Brick. But keep some distance. That creature looked pretty dangerous."

Kim made her way down the carved stone steps that would eventually terminate at the end of the tunnel which led into DNAmy's laboratory. Kim was beginning to feel nervous as she made her way down to the laboratory; something did not seem right.

Brick looked around the wrecked lab when they arrived at the green observation ledge at the bottom of the tunnel. "You said this was Amy's lab?" he whispered quietly to Kim as they crouched behind some fallen stones, out of sight. "It doesn't really look occupied."

Kim agreed with Brick; Wade had been certain that the signal disappeared after going inside the cave, but it certainly didn't look like Amy and Monkey Fist had rebuilt the laboratory and taken up residence here. It seemed like it was still in a collapsed state, the way it had been left after Kim and Ron defeated DNAmy on the skiing trip. She looked down below at the main floor of the lab. The room did appear to have been cleared a little recently.

"Stay here, Brick. I'll check things out and see if the coast is clear."

Kim walked out on the overhanging observation ledge and climbed down the access staircase, making her way slowly onto the laboratory floor. She noticed a table in the middle of the room with some kind of metal box on it, on top of which a red button was glowing through the lab's dusty gloom. Kim approached the table to get a better look at the box, while Brick hung back on the ledge above her.

_Hello, Hal_, she thought to herself as she peered at the red button on the box. She had the unsettling sensation that it was staring at her. _Hope you aren't going to open any pod bay doors and let out that creature when I'm not looking._

The lab's silence was pierced by the sound of her Kimmunicator beeping.

Kim took the Kimmunicator out of her pocket. "Wade, what's-"

"Kim!" Wade's panicked face appeared on the screen. "It's a trap! Get out of there now, the place is rigged with some kind of-"

Kim was about to turn back to the stairs when she was bowled over by a powerful blast that came from the side of the room. Several more blasts rung out around her.

"Brick, _run_!"

Pieces of debris rained down on Kim from the laboratory's ceiling. There was a loud rumbling as the floor beneath her seemed to vibrate. Up on the ledge, Brick looked like he was about to race down the stairs to get her, but he was forced to leap back as several metal support beams dropped from the ceiling and tore the stairway away from the ledge itself. Brick disappeared back into the tunnel as more rock and earth collapsed from the ceiling.

Kim managed to scramble underneath some solid looking lab equipment to try to shield herself from the falling debris, but it did not offer much protection. Rufus clung tightly to her in fear as several more explosions rocked the laboratory. It did not look like things were going well. As most of the ceiling came down around her, Kim shielded her head as best she could and hoped that Brick had gotten out in time.


	21. Mission: Possible

**Mission: Possible**

XX

Brick sat on a rock and watched the rescue crew probing at the collapsed cave mouth. He had only narrowly escaped from the cave in. Sheets of rock had collapsed from the tunnel's ceiling after the explosions had gone off, and shards of stone had glanced off Brick's back as he raced his way out of the cave mouth. He was safe now, but unfortunately, Kim and Rufus were both trapped inside the abandoned mountain laboratory somewhere.

Brick felt guilty about leaving Kim behind, but she had already gone far enough into the laboratory itself that he could not have reached her. Rationally, he knew that escaping from the cave-in was more helpful to Kim than letting himself get caught along with her, but Brick couldn't shake the feeling that he had abandoned her. He didn't even have any idea whether she was alive or dead. Knowing Kim Possible, however, Brick was not ready to give up hope yet.

Brick was glad he had a cell phone – otherwise he would have had to climb all the way down the mountain to the nearby ski resort in order to get help. The rescue team had arrived after far too long a wait, in Brick's opinion. At first they had been making what looked like good progress as they dug their way through the collapsed earth. However, the earth had shifted ominously about half an hour ago, a deep rumble coming from the side of the mountain. Now the rescue crew seemed to be stalling.

Brick grew impatient. He stood up and paced aimlessly as he watched the rescue workers milling about the cave entrance. It had been late at night when he and Kim got to Amy's abandoned laboratory in Mount Middleton, and by the time the rescue team had arrived after Brick's call, it was already early morning. Brick looked up and saw that dawn was beginning to break. The rescue team was making slow progress.

Brick approached the leader of the team. "What's going on?"

The team leader glanced at Brick with a concerned expression, than back to the entrance of the cave. He led Brick over to the stone where he had been sitting and sat the teen down.

"Son, I have some bad news."

"What?"

"We've been trying to dig in further, but it looks like things are really unstable. Whatever happened in there, it damaged a lot of the structure of the tunnel leading down to that laboratory you were talking about, and I'm betting the laboratory itself isn't looking any better. If your friend is still alive, we might not be able to get to her without making things collapse even more."

Brick rubbed his forehead. Things just kept getting worse. Wade had called Brick on his cell phone shortly after the collapse, and the young boy was now communicating with the rescue team, but it sounded like there was not much Wade could do either. Brick was beginning to think he and Wade needed to work on some kind of alternate plan. As if in response to his thoughts, Brick's cell phone rang. It was Wade's number again. Brick answered the phone.

"Sitch me, dude."

XX

Monkey Fist cackled as he stared at his arch foe, Ron Stoppable, trapped helplessly behind a grid of blue laser beams. Ron was standing on top of a circular metal platform, in the center of which was a pole that rose up about ten feet in the air. The pole was topped by a metal sphere. Curved blue laser beams – at least, Monkey Fist thought they were lasers, he really had no idea – arced down from the sphere to meet the edges of the platform, creating a circular prison that contained his foe. It was large enough that Monkey Fist could fit several other captors inside the beams as well, should the need arise.

Monkey Fist thought the contraption looked remarkably similar to a large neon bell, or perhaps some kind of serving plate with a tall lid still placed on top. Ron being the main course, of course. Jack Hench had thrown the portable laser prison in as a free bonus gift with Monkey Fist's purchase of henchmen. It certainly seemed more effective than using ropes to tie his victims up.

"I don't see your red-headed rescuer around anywhere, Stoppable," laughed Monkey Fist as he gestured around himself. "Do you?"

"You're in a big hurry to get a fist to the face," said Ron. "Don't worry, she'll be here."

"I doubt that," said Monkey Fist. "Even if she managed to survive our little trap, there is no way she'll get the better of Amy's flying freak -"

"Cuddledactyl!" yelled an indignant voice from across the laboratory floor.

"Yes, that. Not to mention my giant monkey robot, once our brainy friend over there finishes her work."

Monkey Fist glanced at the hulking mechanical creature with a smirk as Justine fiddled with a control panel in its cage-like cranium. It had been surprisingly easy to get the girl to help his technically-trained henchmen finish their work. All Monkey Fist had needed to do was remind Justine of how easily he could pay her parents a visit, and she had agreed to finish the robot.

"How is that coming along, by the way?" he yelled to Justine.

"Fine."

Monkey Fist turned back to the laser cage in which his arch foe was trapped. "It's only a matter of time now, Stoppable, before I will be _un_stoppable. Your opposite, and your superior. I would dispose of you right now, but I might need you as a hostage just in case your friend Kim Possible is still alive. That, and what fun is it if you don't get to see my plans come to fruition?"

Ron nodded. "True. Bad guy tradition."

"Exactly, Stoppable."

"So what _are_ you planning, Monkey Fist? Whatever happened to that Kinematic Continuum Disruptor?"

"Oh, that? We tried to release Amy's original creature, the Cuddlesaurus, but the device malfunctioned and got sucked into its own space-time tear."

"I knew it!" shouted Justine from her work station on top of the robot.

Monkey Fist snickered at his captor in the laser cage. "I hope you haven't been spending all this time trying to find that thing, Stoppable."

"Um, no. I'll have you know that we weren't really doing much of anything lately!"

Ron smiled triumphantly, but the smile reversed itself as he realized his retort could use some improving.

"As for our plans," said Monkey Fist, "I would have assumed that the giant robot and the flying creature speak for themselves," said Monkey Fist. "With the Transportulator, we can send the creature anywhere we want, letting it wreak havoc on its surroundings. That is, assuming Amy is right and it continues to grow larger. Then, we whisk the creature back to safety before anyone knows what happened.

"I can do the same thing with my robot, or I can simply arrive on the scene and mop things up after Amy's Cuddledactyl has finished its work." Monkey Fist's eyes glazed over at the thought of mopping up. "We'll be a mobile strike force. Unable to be tracked, unable to be defeated!"

Monkey Fist's rant was punctuated by several strange wheezing sounds coming from across the lab. He noticed Amy's creature was crouched over as Amy whispered to it soothingly. Something appeared to be wrong with the creature. Not now, Monkey Fist thought. Not when we're so close.

"What's going on, Amy?" he asked.

"Cuddledactyl is entering a new stage of his life."

"And what stage would that be?"

"The adult stage, sweetie!"

Monkey Fist took a step back as the creature's mottled skin seemed to ripple and bulge. The creature looked like it was in pain, or at least distressed. Whatever was happening, Monkey Fist thought it might be prudent to keep some distance.

"What's it doing?"

"It's about to go into its cocoon stage," explained Amy.

"Wait a minute. A cocoon stage? You mean it's going to be dormant?"

"That's right."

Monkey Fist groaned. Now was not the greatest time for the creature to be out of commission. Although he had no idea how Kim could have survived his trap, he had to admit that the plucky teen was resilient, and Monkey Fist always liked to be ready for surprises. Not to mention it was possible that Global Justice could decide to interfere with his plans, although they usually seemed to be slow on the uptake at best.

Monkey Fist watched as the creature folded its wings around itself. It was almost as if the creature's body was beginning to melt and fuse together. Monkey Fist found the process very unsettling. Amy led the wheezing creature over towards the back of the laboratory, directly across from the laser cage in which Ron was trapped. A large steel door, almost like a garage door in appearance, was set into the wall amongst lab machinery that stood to either side of it. Amy pulled the door up and led the creature into what looked like a large storage area beyond it. The creature settled down on the floor as Amy pulled the door back down and returned to the laboratory.

"And why are you putting your creature into storage, Amy?"

"It will be vulnerable in its cocoon stage, Monty. And we don't want it taking up room and shedding its organic detritus all over the laboratory floor, now do we!" Amy giggled.

Monkey Fist sighed. He only hoped that the creature would not spring any more surprises on them in the future. "At what point will it be leaving its cocoon stage?" he asked.

Amy looked over at the half-finished robot and flashed Justine a smile could cut glass.

"When it's grown up!"

XX

Brick crouched behind thick hedges and parted them with his hands as he spied on the house across the street. Various scents teased his nose: freshly mowed grass, and muggy air from the recently-passed storm. As Brick watched the house, he also smelled intrigue. Despite his friends' situations weighing on his mind, Brick couldn't help but feel a little excitement at playing the part of the undercover spy.

Wade had given Brick directions to Amy's house. Brick had not actually met this Amy character himself yet, but judging by the descriptions he had gotten from both Wade and Kim in the past, Amy's home looked like it fit her personality. The house was quaint and comfortable looking, surrounded by a white picket fence. Its front windows were blocked by garish pink curtains that were drawn shut.

Brick held his cell phone to his ear. "You get anything on your scans?" he asked Wade.

"No, not yet. I didn't get anything when Kim and Ron were over here either, but I must be missing something."

Brick kept watching the house, although he had not seen any activity. The flying creature confirmed that Amy was involved in some kind of scheme with Monkey Fist, and after asking a few of Amy's neighbors, a certain Mr. McNamara had confirmed that he had seen the creature coming from the vicinity of Amy's house. Brick suggested that Amy might have an underground laboratory, and Wade was trying to discover it.

"Hey Brick, what's up?"

Brick jumped at the feeling of cold metal across his shoulder. He stumbled back from his vantage point behind the hedges at the sight of a child-sized blue robot standing beside him. Wade's face was superimposed on a computer monitor that topped the robot.

"Wade? What is that?"

Wade spoke through the robot's monitor face. "This is the Wade-Bot. I thought it might be easier for me to tag along, maybe give you a little more hands-on assistance!" The robot waved its hands in demonstration. Brick got the point.

"Cool then. Don't sneak up on me like that though, dude. You totally freaked me out."

"My bad!"

"So," asked Brick, "find out anything new?"

"Yeah," said Wade. "I still can't find any anomalies under DNAmy's house using my scanning technology, but I looked through some online police records, and a few months ago, some of DNAmy's neighbors complained about noise coming from her house and trucks driving around late at night. It sounds like she was doing some construction a while ago. And I'm betting it wasn't your regular case of home improvement."

"Underground lair, you're thinking?"

"Seems like that's our best guess. I don't know where else she could be set up. Amy must be a lot better at blocking my scans than Drakken, or even Dementor."

Brick looked at the Wade-Bot's monitor as Wade continued to type furiously. "Oh, and guess what?" the boy said.

"What?"

"I just managed to break into DNAmy's credit card account."  
"Nice, Wade! You're a computer genius!"

"Actually it wasn't that hard. Her password was 'Cuddle buddy'. Anyway, she's got a recent credit card purchase from – guess where – HenchCo. A group of discount henchmen with engineering, mechanical, and robotics experience. Even more confirmation Monkey Fist and DNAmy are working together – they must be building some kind of robot using those schematics they stole from Justine."

Brick returned to the hedges and watched the house. "You think we should try to break in?"

Wade's shook his head through the computer monitor. "I'm just starting to pick up some kind of booby traps set up in the yard and inside the house itself. The yard's covered with land mines or something. I wasn't detecting them when Kim and Ron were here the other day. It looks like she wants to keep people out, and she's beefed up security a little. After what happened at the cave, I think we should be a little cautious."

"Works for me. We need to do something before long, though. I just hope Kim is alright. I don't know if I can handle this stuff by myself."

"You're doing well so far," said Wade.

Brick thought about the creature that had swooped down and snatched Justine at the Middleton High School game. The creature had looked like it was noticeably larger than him, not even counting its wing span. Brick wondered how long it had taken Amy to raise something like that, or even how she had created it. Brick didn't know much about genetics, but he knew whatever it was that carried Justine away did not exist in nature.

Brick's mind wandered to the feeding habits of the creature. He tried to banish the morbid thought of the creature eating human beings. Amy and Monkey Fist would have been caught long ago if they had been feeding the creature humans, after all. At least Brick hoped so. Still, the creature had to eat something, and judging by its size, it must eat a lot.

"Hey Wade," said Brick, "what do you think that thing eats? They must be getting a lot of food from somewhere in order to feed it, right? That, and if Monkey Fist is working with DNAmy, he's got to feed his monkey minions too. And all those henchmen they hired."

The Wade-bot swiveled to face Brick.

"You're right," said Wade. "Hmm. Maybe I can look at security cameras and orders for local grocery stores, restaurants, stuff like that, see if anything looks suspicious." Wade frowned on the Wade-Bot's screen. "Why do you think that would be useful, exactly?"

"Well, the lair is under Amy's house, her house is booby trapped, and you haven't detected any possible entrances. They have to be letting people in somehow. Maybe we can get in if we find one of their henchmen and figure out how they avoid their booby traps. Kind of like a surprise attack."

"Good idea. Wait, they've got the Transportulator," said Wade. "I bet that's how they're getting people in and out without being so obvious."

As Brick watched the robot's monitor, Wade appeared to be distracted by another screen in his room.

"Brick, hold on."

"What is it?"

"I'm getting a call from the Kimmunicator!"

XX

Kim was hemmed in on all sides by darkness. Her only illumination, which only barely revealed her surroundings, was the light from the Kimmunicator's screen. Just beyond the darkness rose walls of fallen earth and stone. The walls trapped Kim in an oppressive bubble of air.

Kim wasn't sure how long she had been unconscious, but she had woken up to the feeling of Rufus's tiny paws shaking her. She had been lucky to pick a spot that was partially shielded by heavy-duty lab equipment. Kim had narrowly avoided being crushed by the cave-in, although some rocks had still hit her. She felt very sore even though nothing appeared to be broken. Kim and Rufus were safe for now, but after a cursory look at the brand new earthen walls surrounding her, it became obvious that there were no exits large enough for them to wriggle out. Their rescue would have to come from outside.

"Okay?" the mole rat asked Kim.

"Yes, I'm okay Rufus. Thanks for waking me up."

The Kimmunicator beeped as Kim waited for Wade to answer her call. Fortunately, it had not been damaged in the cave-in either. Kim had no idea if Brick was safe; she hoped he was, but it was possible he was trapped as well. If she couldn't get a link to her tech genius friend and find out what was going on, Kim didn't know what she would do.

"Hello?"

Wade's face appeared on the Kimmunicator screen, cutting Kim's worries short.

"Wade, good lord am I happy to see you!"

"Kim, are you alright?"

"Yeah, just stuck. I have a pocket of air in here."

"Heya!" said Rufus, waving at the Kimmunicator's screen.

Kim watched as her Kimmunicator screen split in two – one side still showed her Wade in his usual bedroom control center, while the other screen showed a familiar face with wavy blond hair.

"Brick! You got out!"

"Hey Kim! Yeah, I just barely avoided getting trapped. Glad to see you're alright."

"Where are you right now?"

Kim watched the split screen and noticed that Brick appeared to be standing out in the open air somewhere, adjacent to a row of thick hedges.

"I'm at DNAmy's house. Me and Wade were checking the place out - we think Amy might have a lair underneath the house. He's got his Wade-Bot here with me."

Kim smiled. It looked like her temporary mission partner had gotten right down to business after escaping from the cave-in. Kim wondered if the former quarterback might be giving Ron a run for his money.

"Here's the deal," said Wade, "There's a rescue team outside the cave. They've been trying to dig their way in, but they think digging might end up making things collapse even more. They could end up crushing you in the process of rescuing you."

"Great," said Kim. "The good news just keeps coming. So, what's the plan?"

Wade and Brick both looked sheepish. Their expressions made it clear to Kim that they had about as many ideas as she did.

Kim sighed and looked at her surroundings. Some of the lab equipment which had helped hold up the collapsing debris and provide her with her pocket of safety was still standing behind her. The equipment was a little bruised and battered, but not broken. Kim took a closer look. They looked like heavy-duty metal racks, mounted with various computer servers. She didn't know how they would help her situation.

As she continued to look around her small enclosure, Rufus rushed about, sniffing and inspecting the collapsed rock walls that hemmed them in. Rufus stopped at one section of the wall and pointed.

Kim approached Rufus and noticed a faint glow coming from the rock, almost concealed by the massive slabs that had fallen from the ceiling. She inspected the source of the light more closely. It looked like there was some kind of red button attached to an object that was half-buried in the debris. Kim realized what it was. It was the box that had been sitting on the table in the middle of the laboratory. Kim had been walking towards the box to see what it was, just before the cave-in occurred.

Kim tried to clear away a little of the debris surrounding the box, but she didn't want to touch anything too much in case she caused the rock to tumble down around her.

"Wade, can you see this? What is it?"

Kim gave Wade a look at the box and then pointed the Kimmunicator in front of her. Wade sent a small beam out from the Kimmunicator and scanned the metal box.

"Interesting. It looks like the button sets off some kind of electronic signal."

Kim heard a flurry of typing come from the Kimmunicator as Wade analyzed the scan's results. "Yeah, it's connected to a fiber-optic cable, which must be buried under the fallen rock now. It looks like the box sends a signal out to some other connection when the button is pressed. Hold on.." The typing continued. "A phone number. It's programmed to dial a phone number."

Kim looked at the glowing red button. "So basically this thing is a telephone for dummies that only dials one number?"

"You got it."

Wade thought for a moment. "Wait a minute, obviously it's dialing the Transportulator! That must be how the trap was set up – that flying creature you guys were trailing ended up there at the abandoned laboratory and teleported itself to another location with Ron and Justine in tow!"

"The other location being the lair under Amy's house?"

"You got it," said Wade.

"Alright, then wish me luck. It's time for a house call!"

Before Wade could object, Kim placed Rufus in her pocket and reached out to press the red button – for some reason, just the thought of pressing a big red button was intensely satisfying. Kim held the button down, deciding to keep her hand on it in case some kind of sustained contact was needed to transport her.

After a moment, the sound of a telephone ring filled the small space in which Kim was trapped. The ringing continued several times, after which it abruptly cut off. Kim waited for a few moments. Nothing. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it was clear that nothing was happening. The air hung silent and heavy.

"Seriously Kim," said Wade, "you could have waited a minute. That might have just blown our element of surprise."

"Er, sorry. I'm just feeling a little claustrophobic in here."

"That was a bit of a Ron moment," said Wade with a smile.

"What are you implying?"

"Nothing. Just a little impulsive, maybe."

Kim smirked. "Still, you're making it sound like the rescue team won't be able to get me out of here. If that's the case, this button here is my only option."

"Yeah. My scan didn't find anything wrong with it – the box should be totally operational, and the call should have gone through. If it's connected to the Transportulator, we might need someone to let your call through on the other end, though. Otherwise, you could have followed right behind that creature into Amy's lair when it got to the cave, if you were fast enough."

"So you'd have to find the Transportulator first, you mean?"

"Yup."

Kim watched the Kimmunicator's glowing screen in the darkness. Wade continued to type and look at the various screens set up around his bedroom. After a moment, something on one of the screens seemed to catch the boy's interest.

"Hold on..."

Kim watched as Wade's face lit up with a new discovery. Brick, who had been sitting around and looking bored in the other split section of the Kimmunicator's screen, was also paying rapt attention to Wade.

"Kim," said Wade, "we were looking into various grocery stores and food places in the local area, since DNAmy has to be feeding that creature somehow. We were hoping maybe we could find some way to get into their lair by surprise, because DNAmy's house is totally wired and her lawn has land mines planted all over it. We were thinking that maybe if we followed one of their henchmen or something, we could get into the lair."

"And?"

"It looks like we're in luck."

Wade replaced his own image with a segment of surveillance camera footage, dated from the previous day. Someone who looked unmistakably like a henchman was standing in front of a counter, ordering what looked like a lot of food. Kim was glad henchmen always wore such distinctive uniforms. She recognized the building in which the henchman was standing almost immediately, and even recognized the scrawny young man behind the counter.

"Is that where I think it is?"

Wade nodded. "I'm sending Brick there right now. I'm cutting off for a while, but I'll call back soon. Beep me if you need anything."

"Gotcha."

"So hungry," complained Rufus. He had been watching the surveillance footage along with Kim, and the image of Nacos being ordered had inflamed his appetite. "Nacos, mm!"

"Soon enough, Rufus. Soon enough."

Kim sighed as she sat back and placed the Kimmunicator on the dusty laboratory floor. There was something almost poetic about the fact that Ron's arch foe, Monkey Fist, was sending his minions to get food from Bueno Nacho. Kim wondered how Ron would take it. Most likely there would be a lot of complaining about how such a fine establishment could be soiled by evil.

Kim smiled. Hopefully she would get to hear Ron complain again soon.


	22. Out of the Frying Pan

**Out of the Frying Pan**

XX

Brick sat in a booth at the far end of the Bueno Nacho, sipping his second slushie. He was beginning to regret the decision to drink another slushie on his stakeout. Brick had a clear line of view to the registers, but going to the bathroom was not exactly stakeout protocol - at least, not from what he saw in the movies.

Still, Brick wasn't the only person watching the Bueno Nacho for the arrival of any suspicious looking henchmen types. Ned had agreed to keep an eye on all his customers, and the Wade-Bot was concealed in some bushes near the drive-through window, just in case DNAmy and Monkey Fist's henchmen were ordering to go. Wade was also monitoring security cameras inside and surrounding the store. Between the three of them, nobody went in or out of the Bueno Nacho without their knowledge.

Brick called the now familiar number on his cell phone as he tapped his fingers on the glossy plastic booth table. The line picked up after a few rings.

"Hey Wade," he said. "Any news on Global Justice?"

"Yeah, bad news," the boy replied. "I just got off with them. They're busy in Europe right now - apparently Dementor's been up to no good. They don't know when they'll be able to send any help our way. We could wait for them to wrap up so we have some reinforcements when we try to attack Amy's lair, but there's no telling how much time they'll take to get here. And I don't think we have the luxury of time."

"Yeah, I don't think so either."

Brick nervously eyed the wall clock across the room as its hands churned placidly away. One problem he and Wade had failed to consider was the time it would take for them to get lucky and catch someone ordering food. Time was ticking away, and neither Brick nor Wade had any idea what DNAmy and Monkey Fist had done to Justine and Ron, or how far along their evil schemes had already progressed.

Not only was Brick concerned for his girlfriend and Ron, but he hated the thought of Kim being stuck in that collapsed cavern for hours on end. Wade had told the rescue team to hold off on digging operations unless their henchman infiltration plan failed, but as far as Brick was concerned, the longer they let Kim stay trapped, the greater the chance something could go wrong.

"Brick?"

Bonnie Rockwaller and Tara King appeared in front of Brick's booth.

"Oh, hey you two. What are you guys doing here?"

"School just got out."

Brick looked at the clock again in surprise; it _was_ already afternoon. Brick had almost forgotten about the fact that, although he was on a mission, it was still a Monday. Hopefully Mr. Barkin would understand Brick's need to save the day, and perhaps even the world. Mr. Barkin wasn't _that_ unreasonable, was he?

"What are you doing at Bueno Nacho?" asked Bonnie. "Is Kim here? Did you guys get Stoppable and Flanner back already and beat up that huge bird thing?"

Bonnie and Tara sat down in the other side of Brick's booth. He did not really want to be distracted, but he could still see the registers easily, so Brick figured chatting with the two girls for a moment was not a big deal.

"Uh, long story short, Kim's trapped inside a mountain and we need to find a way to get into DNAmy's lair so that we can zap Kim _out_ of the mountain with this teleportation device that they stole from this other evil dude that me and Kim met in Greece last time we were on a mission."

Bonnie stared at him and swallowed a mouthful of salad.

"I didn't get a word of that. Well, anyway, sounds like a big deal. I had to take over cheerleading practice today since Kim wasn't at school. You guys were pretty amazed at what a difference a good team leader can make, right Tara?"

Bonnie nudged her blonde teammate, who rolled her eyes.

"I mean, like, not that I'm glad K is in danger," Bonnie added quickly. "Hopefully you can get her out. I guess she makes _some_ kind of contribution to the cheer squad?"

Brick watched the registers intently as a new customer walked up to the counter, but it was clearly not a henchman. However, Ned still managed to grab the man by his shirt and loudly demand what the he was planning before he realized it was a regular customer.

Bonnie turned around to glance in the direction that Brick was staring. "What are you looking at?" she asked.

"Me and Wade are staking out Bueno Nacho. We're hoping we can catch one of DNAmy and Monkey Fist's henchmen and force them to let us into their lair. Or maybe Monkey Fist sends his monkey minions to get food, I dunno. Can monkeys point to what they want on a menu?" Brick was intrigued at the thought.

"Um, I don't know," said Bonnie.

Tara seemed excited at the idea of a stakeout. "Do you want us to help you watch?"

"Sure! The more eyes the better, I guess."

"Ooh, this is going to be fun!"

Tara picked up her tray and moved into another booth to get a different angle on the registers. She hunched over in her seat and stared intently at Ned while he stood behind the counter. After a moment, Ned noticed he was being watched and shifted uncomfortably.

"Hey Brick," said Bonnie, "has Justine talked to you lately?"

Brick looked at his brunette ex-girlfriend for a moment. "We talked a little at the game, right before she was picked up by that creature."

Bonnie nodded as she took a sip of her soda. "And what's the deal between you two?"

"I think we're going to work things out," said Brick. "I decided that I like being her boyfriend. She can be difficult sometimes, but she makes me happy. I think I have a bit of a thing for girls with type-A personalities, anyway," he said, smiling pointedly at his ex-girlfriend.

"I can see that," Bonnie agreed.

"Not only that, but I feel like since I started going out with her, I've gotten to know myself better than I ever did before. It's like she helped motivate me to really think about who I am, you know? What I want out of life, what I can do if I put my mind to it."

Bonnie chewed on another bite of salad. She smiled, but her expression was pensive.

"Well, I'm glad she makes you happy."

Brick nodded as he continued to watch the registers. Ned periodically gave him various winks and complex hand signals; at first, Brick had been mistaking them for warnings that someone suspicious had walked into the store, but he soon realized that Ned was just a little on the weird side. Perhaps Ned was really getting into his role as a watchman in the stakeout.

"You know," Brick told Bonnie, "I'm still cool with being friends with you."

"Thanks," said Bonnie. "To be honest, I think I'm just going to leave you and Justine alone for a while. Stuff got really weird there for a while, and I want to clear my mind and focus on other things for now. But we'll see what happens."

"Sure."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of Brick's cell phone.

"Hold on a second, Bonnie. Hello?"

"Brick!" It was Wade on the other end of the line. "Incoming!"

Brick looked over to the registers and noticed a burly man in a blatantly villainous outfit shoving open the Bueno Nacho's front doors. The man approached the register and eyed the overhead menus for a moment before looking at Ned as if he was about to squash a bug.

"I'll take ten Naco combos, little man," the henchman said. Ned looked up at him, paralyzed, and gulped. Brick was about to get out of his booth and sneak towards the front of the restaurant when Ned abruptly pointed at the henchman and screamed.

"Aaaagh! Bad guy!"

Brick slapped himself on the forehead. The henchman took a step backwards, and the rest of the customers in the Bueno Nacho dropped their food as they stared at the front of the restaurant. The element of surprise was definitely blown now.

The henchman turned towards the restaurant's doors as if he was about to make a break for it. Brick leaped out of the booth, and was just starting to cover the distance to his target when a whirl of blonde hair obscured his vision. Before Brick could take another step, he saw Tara race in front of him with a tray in her hands. Some of her food was still on the tray. It had not been given enough time to fall off.

"What the-"

The henchman's query was interrupted by the whip-like crack of a plastic tray hitting him square in the face. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious, haloed by a scattered collection of Naco, spilled soda, and wrapping paper that had fallen from Tara's tray.

Brick approached Tara and looked down at the henchman's prone form. Tara turned to look at him with the biggest grin he had ever seen as she jumped up and down, her face beaming with excitement.

"I did it, I did it! I got the bad guy!"

The Wade-Bot drove into the Bueno Nacho from where it had been keeping watch outside. After staring at Tara for a moment, the robot stopped in front of the henchman and nudged him. He was out cold.

"Tara," said Brick, "that was awesome, but a little bit scary."

"Thanks!"

Bonnie walked up from behind the collection of onlookers in the front of the restaurant, shoving her way through. She stared down imperiously at the unconscious henchman and gave him kick in the stomach with her high heeled shoes. Brick flinched; even for a villainous lackey, it seemed harsh.

"That's for messing up the game with the Lowerton Lemurs by sending a flying demon beast to attack us, jerk!"

"Oh yeah," said Brick. "Who won the game?"

"It got canceled due to the weather, and the monster attack. We would have lost, though. Eddie can't handle quarterback duties."

Brick nodded. He noticed the Wade-Bot and Ned were dragging the unconscious henchman back into the stockroom, and decided it was time to shift his attention back to the mission.

"Alright, nice to see you guys, but it looks like we gotta wait for that dude to wake up and ask him a few questions. Thanks for the help, Tara."

XX

The henchman groaned as he regained consciousness and propped himself up against a box of tortilla chips. Brick and the Wade-Bot watched him; Ned had gone back to the front registers, since he was technically still on duty. The henchman rubbed a bright red blotch on his cheek and looked around in a daze.

"Ugh, what happened?"

"You got smacked by a lunch tray," said Brick.

"I feel like I got kicked in the stomach," said the henchman as he massaged his belly.

"Uh, yeah, that too."

The henchman looked at his captors. "Who are you guys?"

"I'm Brick – nice to meet you. This is my friend Wade's robot. Who are you?"

"Stan."

"Stan the man, huh?"

"No, just Stan."

Stan looked around at the Bueno Nacho store room in which he was sitting. He shivered; the air conditioning was set on an obscenely high setting. "What do you guys want from me?"

"We just wanna hitch a ride," said Brick. "So what's the plan, Wade? We tail this guy back into DNAmy's lab when he transports in there, accept Kim's call when she hits the button on that box that's in the cave with her, and then we beat up the bad guys and save the day?"

"Sounds like a good plan," said Stan.

Brick and the Wade-Bot stared at him quizzically.

"Oh, right," said Stan. "I mean, uh, I don't know what you guys are talking about. You'll never succeed in discovering our evil schemes!"

"Come on man," said Brick. "We just want a little help here. You scratch our back, we scratch yours, you know?"

Stan stared at his captor in confusion. It was not the reaction Brick had been expecting; in the movies, the good cop always got the perp to be friends with him by acting nice.

"How're you gonna scratch my back, kid?"

"Well, not literally," explained Brick. As he considered his interrogation tactic, Brick realized he wasn't sure what he meant, even in a non-literal sense.

The Wade-Bot edged a little closer and angled its monitor towards the seated henchman. Stan shrank back at the approaching robot, although the sight of a boy who looked like he was in his early teens staring at Stan from the robot's monitor was a little incongruous.

"Were you getting food to feed DNAmy's genetic hybrid?" Wade asked. "You must have a link into her laboratory, right?"

"You'll never get anything out of me," Stan said.

A compartment in the robot's side opened up, sending out a clawed hand attached to a tubular arm. The hand snapped menacingly at Stan, causing him to let out a surprisingly high-pitched squeal.

"Just kidding! I'll tell you everything!"

XX

Kim lay on the dirty floor of the mountain laboratory, half awake and half asleep. Her mind drifted in and out of consciousness. Time slipped by, minute by minute, hour by hour, as she waited for something to happen. Someone to rescue her.

Kim hated the feeling of helplessness. She liked being in control, on top of things. Normally she was the one saving Ron, and now she was stuck here while she waited to be saved herself. It was possible she would never get out. It could have been her imagination, but Kim thought the air was getting thicker and dustier around her. Perhaps she was running out of breathable air. Kim wished that she could talk to Ron. About anything, really. She just wanted him to be there with her.

"Er, miss Ron?" Rufus asked from where he sat beside her.

"Yeah. It's like you read my mind," Kim said with a weary smile. Rufus patted her reassuringly on the head.

Kim's mind sharpened in the gloom as the Kimmunicator rang out through the heavy air. She stared at the device for a moment, collecting her thoughts. Kimmunicator. Ringing. Oh yes, she thought. Wade and Brick are trying to save me. Wade is calling. Kim shook herself back into consciousness and picked up the Kimmunicator.

"Hello, Wade?"

"Kim! You alright? It took a while for you to answer."

"Yeah, sorry, I'm just feeling a little drained in here."

"Well, good news," said Wade. "We managed to catch one of Monkey Fist's henchmen at the Bueno Nacho. Apparently he's been calling the Transportulator in Amy's lair from the pay phone outside Bueno Nacho and teleporting himself inside that way. They've got a whole system set up where henchmen call in and get zapped around from various locations. Which means that we can get into their lair."

"Great. What then?"

"Brick teleports into their lair, you press the red button on that box you've got trapped in there with you, hopefully it calls the Transportulator, and Brick accepts the call from inside the lab. That will teleport you in there with him. It'll be tricky – we'll only have a few seconds to pull it off before Monkey Fist and DNAmy and all their cronies notice Brick's arrival. But if we time it right, you'll both be in there, ready to take some names."

Kim thought the plan was a bit of a long shot, but they did not seem to have any alternatives. "What about Global Justice?" she asked.

"No dice. They're busy. No idea when they'll be able to help."

Kim sighed and nodded at the Kimmunicator screen. "Sounds like the best we can do, then. What if this button doesn't work like we think it will?"

"Then we're in trouble," said Wade. "I scanned the box though, it looked like it was still functional. I'm also going to create a bit of a diversion when we're doing this. We'll need to have at least a few moments for Brick to be able to teleport you inside of the lair before anyone can stop him, so I'm going to blow up some of the land mines around DNAmy's house as a distraction. Hopefully they'll send henchmen out to investigate, and you won't have as much to deal with the moment you get into their lair."

"How are you gonna blow up the land mines?" asked Kim. "Some kind of satellite signal? Electronic frequency?"

Wade laughed. "No. I've been sending some remote controlled toy cars into her neighborhood. They're going to drive over the lawn and set off the land mines. Sometimes simple is best."

"Spankin', Wade."

Kim got up to her feet and stretched herself out, trying to limber up as best she could. She felt apprehensive; the cave-in had not caused any serious injuries, but she was still feeling a little bruised and battered. Being stuck in such an enclosed space for hours had not done any favors for her A-game. Still, Kim didn't want to stall anymore. Ron was waiting for her, as was Justine, and she was feeling increasingly irked at Monkey Fist and DNAmy.

"Alright, when is this going down, Wade?"

"Now, if you're ready."

Kim nodded at the screen. "Ready as I'll ever be."

XX

"Alright, good luck Brick. And be careful."

"I will. Love you, dad."

"I love you too, son."

Mason hung up the phone. Brick had been keeping in touch with him and letting him know what was going on, since the news did not have a lot to say about what was happening. About the only thing Mason had gotten from the news was the fact that, after pursuing a flying monster that had attacked the football game, Kim Possible had been caught in a cave collapse on Mount Middleton.

Mason did not like the sound of his son charging into battle with evil supervillains, but he knew that he couldn't stop Brick. His son's friends were in danger, and Brick needed to help them. Mason knew that if he had been caught in those circumstances, he would be doing the same thing. Fortunately, it sounded like Brick had some kind of kid prodigy working with him, and Kim Possible would be by his side once they began the attack.

Mason dialed another number on his phone. The line picked up almost immediately.

"Hello?"

"Yes, Leona? This is Mason. Brick just gave me an update on what's going on."

Mason heard Leona grunt on the other end of the phone.

"Come back over here to our house, so Ted and I can make sure we know what's going on immediately. Just stay over here until we find out what's going on with Justine."

From the tone of Leona's voice, Mason decided it was a good idea not to argue. He didn't like being alone in his own house with his son in danger, anyways.

"Yes ma'am."

XX

Mr. McNamara hummed a quiet melody as he clipped his Forsythia bushes. Normally he would be watering them as well, but he figured the recent storm had taken care of that chore for him. Now that it wasn't raining cats and dogs, it was quite a nice day outside, and Mr. McNamara was taking every opportunity to enjoy the weather.

He would be enjoying the day even more if he didn't have to look at that horrible neighbor's house. The color scheme was atrocious, but beyond that, Mr. McNamara could not stand the house's owner. Amy, if he wasn't mistaken. He had no idea how many times he had complained about the noises and commotion always coming from that woman's home, but nothing ever seemed to come of it.

Mr. McNamara had even gone to the Amy's front door on a couple of occasions, asking her to keep the noise down on whatever strange construction she was working on in the basement. After the woman began to make vague threats about genetic mutations, however, Mr. McNamara felt a bit nervous about complaining to her in person.

He stood up from his Forsythia bushes as he stared at the lawn in front of Amy's house. What was going on now? Mr. McNamara watched as several small remote controlled cars began driving towards her lawn from the street. Some kids playing with their toys, perhaps? He looked around, but could not see any children.

The cars raced their way onto Amy's lawn. Mr McNamara began to walk out into the road, his interest piqued, when a loud _whoomp_ rattled his body. A powerful explosion burst from Amy's lawn, and the impact threw him back through the air.

"What in tarnation?"

Mr. McNamara struggled out of his landing spot in the Forsythia bushes as he looked at Amy's lawn. A mushroom cloud of smoke and fire rose up into the air, and after a moment, chunks of earth rained down around him. Mr McNamara raised his arms to shield himself when two more explosions flung him back into the Forsythia bushes yet again. This time, he decided to stay in the bushes. He felt a cold rage coursing through his body.

Strange creatures flying over her house, and now explosions in the front yard? A vein pulsed in Mr. McNamara's forehead. This was worse than the time that neighbor kid started playing drums in the garage!

XX

Brick picked up the pay phone outside Bueno Nacho, ready to dial the number that Stan the henchman had given him. Stan had told them that the Transportulator would warp Brick into the lair along with any free-standing objects that he was touching or otherwise in contact with, which meant that the Wade-Bot could come along and provide support. Stan himself was being left behind, tied up in the Bueno Nacho stock room, since Brick and Wade assumed he would be jumping ship and turning against them if he followed them into the lair.

Brick had also made completely sure that his clothes would teleport along with him for the journey. Brick had seen the act of teleportation in those sci-fi movies with the cyborgs, and he really didn't want to flash Justine, Kim, Ron, and a room full of strangers as his first action before going into battle.

"Ready, Wade-Bot?"

"Ready, Brick."

Brick dialed the number. A flash of neon green almost immediately surrounded Brick and the Wade-Bot. After a moment of highly unpleasant sensations and near-blindness, the light faded away. Brick blinked a few times and found himself standing in a new setting. It was definitely a laboratory. Larger than any lab Brick had ever seen, though.

Brick and the Wade-Bot were standing on top of a platform. The Transportulator sat on a metal lab table in front of them, and beside the table was another henchman who had apparently approved their call, expecting Stan to return from his food run. The henchman stared at Brick, not moving.

"You're not Stan. Who are-"

The Wade-Bot shot a metallic arm out from its side compartment and gave the henchman a vicious uppercut. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"Nice one, Wade."

Brick saw a large number of henchmen still in the laboratory. They didn't seem to be too busy looking into the explosions coming from upstairs, out in Amy's lawn. It did not look like Wade's diversion had been very effective.

Brick looked at the Transportulator nervously, waiting to accept Kim's call from the cave-in at Mount Middleton. He did not know how to operate it, but fortunately the interface looked user friendly enough. He could hear muffled explosions coming from above the laboratory as Wade set off the land mines in DNAmy's yard, but the henchman standing around in the laboratory appeared to be ignoring the sounds. Kim had to hurry...

XX

"Now, Kim!"

After hearing Wade's shout from her Kimmunicator, Kim smacked her palm against the red button after she made sure that Rufus was tucked securely in her cargo pants pocket. A green flash of light surrounded her, and after a moment she found herself in yet another laboratory. She was getting a little tired of laboratories.

"Kim!"

Kim turned and smiled at the sight of her quarterback sidekick standing beside the Transportulator. He had gotten her call. Brick smiled back and gave her a thumbs up. Kim's hair was disheveled and her body was covered with dust. She let out a few coughs. Kim felt a brief pang of worry about whether or not she could fight in her condition, but they didn't have much of a choice.

"Pssst!"

Kim and Brick looked over to the source of the whispered sound. Their faces temporarily lit up when they saw Ron, alive and well, but Kim frowned at the sight of the high-tech prison in which he was trapped. Kim wasn't sure how she and Brick were going to bust their friends out, but it looked a bit tougher than simple rope knots. She noticed that Justine was perched on top of a half-finished, gigantic monkey-like robot. Justin waved; several henchmen appeared to be guarding her, but Kim was happy to see that she would be easier to save.

Kim was about to sneak over to Ron's prison when she noticed that quite a few henchmen were just standing around the laboratory, watching her and Brick.

Brick sidled over closer. "Uh, why are they staring at us?" he whispered.

"Dunno," she replied. "My guess? Either they're waiting for orders, or they don't want to interrupt the mandatory opening verbal jabs from their supervillain boss."

Brick nodded. So _that_ was how things worked. He had a lot to learn about supervillains.

As if on cue, a booming voice traveled from the other end of the lab. "Well well. I see that our little surprise at Mount Middleton wasn't enough to keep you occupied, Kim Possible."

Kim gritted her teeth at the figure advancing toward her.

"Monkey Fist!"

Her simian foe nodded in some twisted semblance of politeness. He motioned to the Transportulator where it sat on the table next to Kim.

"I am afraid to inform you that the little call you attempted earlier today tipped us off to your survival. I suppose you were still able to use Amy's little call-box invention that we had set up in her old abandoned laboratory?"

Kim did not answer.

"Either way, we've been expecting you. Your diversion on Amy's lawn was a bit of surprise, but transparent all the same." Monkey Fist noticed Kim's beefy companion. "Ah, and you brought Justine's boyfriend with you as well. Did he dump Justine for a feistier, ginger-haired upgrade, or did he replace Stoppable as your new sidekick? Perhaps both?"

Monkey Fist laughed cruelly as he drew closer to Brick and Kim, who were standing tensely beside each other. "It must sting for Stoppable and Miss Flanner to see this," he said.

Ron stuck his tongue out from his laser prison. Justine narrowed her eyes at Monkey Fist from her perch on top of the robot.

Kim held her fists up and stepped in front of Brick as various henchmen began to appear around the laboratory, gradually tightening into a semicircle as they advanced. Monkey Fist's monkey minions were also appearing, hopping over lab equipment and chattering wildly. Kim could not see DNAmy anywhere, but the geneticist was not a fighter, so Kim assumed she was probably hovering in a safer area of the lab. Kim drew closer to Brick in a defensive stance as their enemies hemmed them in.

Monkey Fist came closer, stopping a few yards away from Kim.

"You may have made it to our little party," he said, "but you were not invited."

Monkey Fist grinned. Sharp teeth glinted in harsh laboratory light as he curled his simian hands, ready to attack.

"Allow me to show you the way out."

XX

* * *

_Bet you can't guess what the title of the next chapter is. :-p_


	23. Into the Fire

**Into the Fire**

XX

At first, Kim tried to shield Brick from their advancing opponents, but she realized there were simply too many of them for her to bother. Not only that, but Brick had demonstrated some combat effectiveness during their mission in Greece. With the amount of foes they were facing, Kim decided she would need all the help she could get.

The Wade-bot advanced into position beside her, ready to fight. The robot's arms were extended and raised in the air, ending in claw-like hands that snapped aggressively at the tightening circle of enemies. Wade peered from the Wade-Bot's monitor, the tip of his tongue protruding slightly from his mouth as he concentrated. Rufus poked his head out of Kim's pocket and struck his own ninja pose.

"Hey Brick," said Kim.

"Yeah?"

"Remember Greece, okay? Distract them, keep them on their toes. Sack them when you can."

Brick smiled. "I'll try to remember those football skills."

"Good," said Kim as several monkey minions advanced with Monkey Fist in the lead, "because it's time to use them!"

Kim decided to attack Monkey Fist preemptively, since he was easily their most dangerous opponent. She rushed forward before her foe had closed the distance between them and leaped into the air, throwing a kick that planted itself square into his chest. Monkey Fist flew backwards, the wind knocked out of him.

"I got a kick out of that!" laughed Kim. Rufus squeaked in appreciation.

Ron groaned from his laser prison as he watched the fight. "That was horrible, KP."

"Give me a break Ron, I've been stuck under a pile of rock all day."

Monkey Fist got up and snarled viciously as he dusted himself off. Kim was ready to send another kick flying his way when several of his monkey minions leaped on her, chattering wildly. The Wade-Bot was also being attacked by monkeys, while Brick was attempting to run away from a group of henchmen. Kim struggled to get the monkey minions off her, but every time she threw one aside, another monkey seemed to leap back in its place, chattering in her face and scratching wildly.

"Arrgh! Get off me!"

Kim was feeling overwhelmed by the monkeys when Monkey Fist himself appeared in front of her, knocking her down with his own well-placed kick. The monkeys scattered away as Monkey Fist threw a punch at Kim's prone form, but she rolled to the side before it could connect. Monkey Fist howled in pain as his fist hit the floor, and Kim swiped his feet out from under him before he could react. Her enemy collapsed to the ground yet again.

Kim had a strong urge to gloat, but she was also getting worried. She was running out of breath too quickly. The fight was taking the wind out of her very easily; being stuck in the cave-in at Mount Middleton may not have injured her, but it had weakened her even more than she had expected.

"You can do it, Kim!" shouted Ron. "Show that monkey man who's the man! I mean, the woman."

Kim took a split second look around the laboratory as she backed away from Monkey Fist and the monkey minions that had gathered around him, trying to catch her breath. She saw DNAmy watching the fight from a corner of the lab, a look of excitement on her face. A flash of movement caught the corner of her eye; Brick had just sacked a particularly slow-moving henchman. Kim wondered where DNAmy's flying creature was hiding. If that thing attacked them, Kim didn't think there was any chance of winning the fight. Fortunately, the creature was nowhere in sight.

Kim threw a combination of punches at Monkey Fist as he got back up and charged her. She felt her strength faltering as Monkey Fist pushed her back, towards the center of the laboratory where the control platform and most of the computer equipment stood. Wanting to get some higher ground, Kim leaped on top of group of bulky supercomputers. She kicked away several monkey minions who tried to crawl their way up the equipment to reach her. Monkey Fist himself leaped on top of the other end of the computer row.

"Something wrong, Possible? You look like you need a break."

"You wish, Monkey Fist."

Kim was about to attack her foe when a loud crashing sound distracted her. She noticed a burst of sparks shooting into the air across the laboratory, coming from the Wade-Bot. One of the henchmen had managed to find a metal bar and smash the Wade-Bot's monitor. The robot flailed about blindly, its segmented metal arms hitting a few henchmen, but it was clearly out of the game.

Kim's momentary distraction was enough to give Monkey Fist an opening. He leaped forward and pushed her off of the computer stack, sending her crashing onto a laboratory table below the tall row of computers she had been standing on. Kim's back arched in pain as she hit the table, which was covered in monitors and scientific equipment. One of the table's legs gave out, and Kim rolled off and hit the ground on her back. A shower of broken glass and debris from the table scattered around her. Monkey Fist leaped down beside Kim and grabbed her by the arm. She landed a few weak punches in retaliation, but she was unable to wriggle free from his grasp.

"Kim!"

Brick shouted from across the laboratory. He had just sacked another henchman, and the remaining ones chasing him seemed to be running out of breath. Brick was surprised at how easy it was to evade the henchmen and take down one at a time as they let their guard down.

"I think we're winning, Kim!"

Brick tried to catch sight of Kim where he had last seen her, fighting Monkey Fist on the central laboratory platform. As he ran, Brick failed to notice a particularly burly henchman who was standing in front of him. He ran straight into the henchman's outstretched arm.

XX

"I guess we lost, Kim."

Kim nodded as she and Brick were led towards the laser prison in which Ron was already trapped. The blue beams lifted themselves for a split second as the two teens were thrown unceremoniously onto the circular base of the prison. The beams reformed with a crackle of energy, trapping them inside. Kim wanted to lay on the cool metal floor for a moment and vegetate, but she felt herself being turned over.

"Kim, you okay?"

Ron reached out a hand and helped her up so that she was sitting against the metal pole in the center of the prison. He began to poke and prod at her when she did not move much.

"I'm fine, Ron. Just a little wiped at the moment."

"Alright."

Rufus leaped out of Kim's pocket and scrambled up Ron's arm, giving him a hug around his neck. The pink rodent was clearly happy to be reunited with his friend.

"Rufus! Great to see you too, buddy!"

"Yeah! Rrgh, so hungry," complained Rufus.

Ron nodded sympathetically. "I know, I know."

After Ron and Rufus had been reunited, Ron looked back at Kim for a moment. She was about to ask him what he was staring at when Ron unexpectedly embraced her in a hug.

"I'm so glad you weren't pancaked by that cave-in!"

"Thanks," said Kim.

Ron's embrace was making her struggle for breath a little. "Okay, ease up there Ron," she laughed. "I'm glad to see you again too. And it's a good thing you and Justine didn't end up being lunch for that creature."

"Don't speak so soon," said Monkey Fist as he passed by the cage and leered at his captives. "Patience, Kim Possible. Meal time will come soon enough!"

Monkey Fist cackled as he left the cage and walked towards the enormous robotic figure that Justine was working on. Brick watched his girlfriend concentrate on her work. Justine was perched on top of the robot. She hung awkwardly, half in and half out of an indentation in the robot's chassis. Brick assumed it was a cockpit, or some sort of a driver's seat for whoever was piloting the monstrosity. A cage-like covering surrounded the cockpit. The covering was half open, allowing Justine to fiddle around inside. Scaffolding was erected around the robot, and occasionally one of the henchman would pass a tool or a clump of wiring up to Justine when she shouted down from her perch.

Taking a pause in her work, Justine glanced over at the laser prison in which her friends were trapped. Brick managed to catch her attention and give her a friendly wave. Justine waved back. Brick was surprised at how nonchalant she appeared to be, considering the hopelessness of their situation.

"So," Brick said as he looked around at their prison, "how are we getting out of here?"

They were trapped within a mesh of laser beams that surrounded them like some kind of overturned straw basket. Brick had a feeling that putting his hands through the lasers would probably be more painful than touching a straw basket, however.

"I'm stumped," said Ron.

"Me too," said Kim. "It's so much easier when they just tie you up."

Rufus poked his head out of Ron's pocket and chomped his incisors in agreement. Kim smiled at the mole rat and patted him on the head. "If they had captured the Wade-Bot and put it in here with us, Wade might have had some tool to disrupt the lasers, but it got totally smashed in the fight."

"Bummer," said Ron.

Rufus spied something in the center of the laboratory's command platform, lying beside a computer keyboard. It was a half-opened bag of Bueno Nacho and a soda. He managed to slip out between the vertical blue laser bars that surrounded the prison and scurried across the floor before anyone could see him.

"What about your Kimmunicator?" asked Brick.

Kim shook her head. "Monkey Fist took it from me when he managed to take me down."

Rufus returned with a half-eaten Naco that had probably belonged to one of Monkey Fist's henchmen. The mole rat would have preferred a fresh meal, but he was too hungry to be picky. He slipped in between the laser bars again, careful not to brush against them, and began eating his treat inside the prison as he sat next to his human friends.

"Maybe we should throw something against the bars and see what-"

"Hey," said Brick. "Rufus, where'd you get that nacho, dude?"

Rufus pointed to the center of the laboratory, his cheeks bulging with food. Kim slapped a hand to her head.

"Agh! Rufus can fit in between the laser beams!"

Ron and Brick both scratched their heads in unison. "So?"

"So, maybe he can get out there and find a way to turn off this laser grid. At the least, he could just press buttons wildly."

"Execute the patented Ron Disruption Strategy, you mean," corrected Ron.

"Yeeeah. So, how does that sound, Rufus?"

Rufus stood up on his hind legs and threw a salute to Kim.

"You're ready to go then?"

"Hold on a minute," said Brick.

"What?"

"Even if Rufus finds a way to break us out with those computer terminals over there, we're back where we started, except plus Ron and minus the Wade-bot. And, I dunno about you Kim, but I'm feeling pretty beat up." Judging by Kim's expression, Brick assumed that she was feeling the same way. "Maybe we want to wait before we bust ourselves out of here. Obviously they don't want to kill us at the moment, so we're safe for now."

Kim considered their options. "You've got a point Brick, but right now that giant monkey robot-"

"Mech," said Ron.

"Huh?"

"It's a mech. Also known as a mecha. A robotic, usually bipedal war machine in which a pilot can approximate human movement." Ron raised an eyebrow at Kim, pleased with his superior knowledge of robotic attack machines.

Kim frowned. "I'm going to call it a robot, Ron. The robot over there isn't finished. And right now we have no idea where that flying creature is, but it's not here. That means our enemies are at their weakest right now.

"Now, I agree we probably can't fight them in our state, so I think our best bet is to break out of this laser cage and make a run for that Transportulator. I know Wade's number, and I think he's smart enough to recognize what's going on when we call him. We can be out of here before they even know where we went."

"What about Justine?" asked Brick. "I'm not leaving without her."

Ron watched Justine as she worked on the mech. Monkey Fist had told him about how the Transportulator would be able to transport the robot itself to any location where Monkey Fist wanted to wreak havoc.

"Why don't we just grab the Transportulator and run to the monkey mech?" asked Ron. "If we all grab onto the mech and Kim dials the number, it'll transport the robot and everything on it, including Justine, right? Easier than hoping she catches on to what we're doing. And stealing the monkey mech would foil half of Monkey Fist and DNAmy's strategy at the same time."

"I like it," declared Kim.

She watched the various henchmen and monkey minions scattered around the room. It would be hard for Rufus to sneak out without being seen, but he was their only chance. Monkey Fist, DNAmy, and many of their henchmen were preoccupied with the progress on the monkey robot; this looked like as good a chance as they would get.

"Alright, Rufus, are you ready to sneak over there?"

"Yup!" squeaked Rufus.

"Go for it. Be careful no one sees you!"

Rufus waited until none of the henchmen or monkey minions seemed to glancing towards them and made a mash dash out from between the laser bars, scurrying towards the control center of the laboratory. Once he got to the control center, there was a lot more cover, although a couple of henchmen were lounging around in desk chairs.

Kim breathed a sigh of relief when, after a moment, a tiny pink hand gave her a thumbs up from a concealed position amongst some computer monitors. So far, so good.

XX

Justine sat up for a moment and took a deep breath, adjusting her hair band before hunkering back down to work. She was wedged underneath the control terminal inside the cockpit of Monkey Fist's monkey mech, trying to hook up some wiring correctly.

Inside the cockpit, oriented around the pilot's seat, were several sockets into which Monkey Fist would place his hands and feet in order to control the robot mech's limbs. The sockets resembled gloves and boots, but they were fixed in place, and lined with touch sensors that gave the mech's pilot a high level of control. It was an elegant system, but it was also complex. The henchmen had already done most of the busywork on the robot itself when Justine had first arrived at the lair, but the mech's controls had been particularly lacking. Justine had actually scrapped the abortive attempts at a system installed by Monkey Fist's henchmen, redoing the entire control system herself.

Most importantly, however, Justine had made some modifications to the monkey mech's central processor. DNAmy's laboratory had some impressive computer systems, and Justine's programming knowledge came in handy when she tweaked the mech's systems to respond to the pilot controls.

Justine had also programmed a few automated behavioral scripts into the monkey mech's CPU. She wished she had Vivian Francis Porter's mastery over artificial intelligence systems – Justine almost shivered with excitement as she thought about what kind of robot she could make if Vivian was there to help her. Hopefully, Justine's own knowledge would be passable. Justine had to admit that despite her captivity, she was almost enjoying her work.

"How's it going up there?" shouted Monkey Fist from the laboratory floor.

Justine wiggled her way out from beneath the cockpit's control panel and peered down at the floor, making sure she didn't lose her balance and fall out of the mech completely.

"Fine. I'll be finished soon."

DNAmy walked up to the mech and stood beside her boyfriend as she stared up at Justine with a grin.

"Hey honey!"

"Hello, crazy person."

DNAmy frowned. "That's not very nice! Honestly, between your comments and the way you stole my Cuddlesaurus from me, you're quite the cheeky girl." DNAmy smiled again. Justine thought there was something very unhinged about the way the woman smiled.

"You'd better get used to your pets disappearing," said Justine. "If he hasn't already run away from you, I'll make sure I take care of your flying creature, the same way I took care of your Cuddlesaurus."

DNAmy stamped her foot angrily. "His name is Cuddledactyl, dear!"

"I'm sensing a trend," said Justine with a haughty smirk.

"I don't like your tone at all. Cuddledactyl certainly hasn't run away, he's just sleeping right now. And when he wakes up, I'm sure he'll be veeery hungry!"

Monkey Fist, who had been listening to the conversation between Justine and his girlfriend, let out a raucous laugh at Amy's comment before he left to check on the other prisoners. Before he got to the laser cage, however, he jerked his head towards the sound of a shout coming from the laboratory's control center.

"Hey, boss!"

Monkey Fist stared at the particularly large, ignorant-looking henchman who was standing up from his post in front of some of the computer terminals. How that henchman could know anything about technical things, Monkey Fist could not even begin to guess. Maybe the man frequented the gym as a way to relax after a hard day's engineering.

"What is it?" he asked.

The henchman held his clenched fist up in the air. "Look what we found, boss!"

A naked, pink rodent dangled from his fist. It struggled for a moment, but the henchman had a firm grip. Monkey Fist recognized the rodent; it was Ron Stoppable's pet mole rat. The rodent curled its arms together and grumbled when it realized it could not escape. Monkey Fist heard a chorus of groans coming from the laser prison.

"Trying to interfere, are we?" asked Monkey Fist as he stared at his caged teen captors. "I don't think a hairless rat is going to do the trick. Perhaps if you had a monkey."

XX

Brick twiddled his thumbs as he sat propped against the metal pole in the center of their laser prison. He enjoyed getting in a brief wave at Justine from time to time, but she seemed absorbed in her work. Almost too absorbed, Brick thought. If he was in her position, he imagined he'd work as slowly as possible in order to stall Monkey Fist and DNAmy's schemes.

Brick assumed that he and his friends would not be long for this world once Monkey Fist's robot was finished. After all, Brick thought, the only reason the crazy English guy seemed to keeping them alive was to gloat over them. Maybe Monkey Fist was planning to crush them with the robot. All the more reason why putting off the robot's completion as long as possible was the best idea.

Unfortunately, Justine did not seem to be on the same wavelength as Brick. Maybe she hadn't thought about the implications of finishing the robot. Or perhaps, Brick thought, she was just too absorbed in the work. After all, Justine had built the Kinematic Continuum Disruptor, which seemed like a fairly dangerous device even if it _had_ ended up being unexpectedly useful. Perhaps Justine was so excited about completing the gigantic monkey attack bot, she hadn't thought about the fact that she was building it for their enemy.

Brick smiled as Justine gave him another brief glance and a wave. He gave his girlfriend a thumbs up. Brick decided that even if he had his worries, he trusted Justine to do what was best.

"Ugh, come on, Ron," whispered a voice beside him.

Brick noticed Ron was half asleep, his head lolling against Kim's shoulder. Both of them were also propped against the prison's conducting pole, waiting for a bright idea to pop up between them. Ron had just drooled a little bit on Kim's shoulder, and Kim was trying to shift him away without disturbing him too much.

Ron mumbled and shifted aside. "No... no more monkeys... monkey bad..."

Brick poked Kim gently on her other shoulder to get her attention.

"What's up, Brick?"

"We _are_ trapped in here," whispered Brick. "Maybe this is a good time to tell Ron how you feel about him."

Kim blushed. "And how do I feel about him?"

"Oh, come on. You're not fooling anybody. You should just ask him out or something. That way, it's like you have some motivation to get out of here alive, right? Otherwise you won't get that Naco combo when you're on your date with him."

"We eat at Bueno Nacho all the time, Brick. That's not a date. Not that I'm saying I'm going to ask him out," added Kim in a hurry.

"It's not the location the matters, Kim. It's who you're with."

Kim shrugged, which caused Ron's head to shift a little. He twitched in his sleep and muttered a few vague comments about bananas and pterodactyls.

Brick was surprised. For someone who seemed to take charge so easily when it came to fighting evil and leading others, Kim sure was stubborn about admitting her feelings. That is, assuming that Brick was not way off base about the way Kim felt about Ron. He thought it had seemed fairly obvious ever since Tara came into the picture, and now that Tara was not a problem, Brick didn't know why Kim was stalling so much.

If he wasn't already going out with Justine, for instance, Brick knew he would be asking her out in a hurry now. After all, they were about to get stomped by a giant ape-bot. Or perhaps eaten by that freakish creature, whenever it came back from wherever it was. Weren't the last hours of your life a romantic time to profess inner feelings? Brick thought so. He remembered seeing an episode of _Agony County_ that ended like that, and all the girls at school seemed to think _Agony County_ was authoritative when it came to romance. But perhaps Kim was not as confident in the realm of guys as she was in the realm of bad guys.

"Maybe I can ask him out for you," offered Brick.

"How's that work?"

"I'll just be like 'Hey Ron, you want to go out with Kim?' And you can hide behind me if you're embarrassed. Then if Ron says yes, you jump out and you're like 'surprise!'. But if he rejects you, I can just walk backwards really slowly so he doesn't see that you're hiding behind me."

Brick wasn't sure if he was being serious - mainly he just wanted to take his mind off their horrific impending fate. But judging by her blank stare, Kim did not seem to think his idea was a winner.

"Or not," said Brick.

He sat back against the pole and watched Monkey Fist and DNAmy in the center of the laboratory, poring over computer monitors and pointing at various things as they whispered to each other. Brick thought they made a strange couple, but then who was he to judge? He wondered how long they had been together. How they had met. Or if they would have children some day. The image of a pudgy, mop-headed ape child popped into Brick's mind, and he realized his thoughts were taking a very disturbing turn.

Brick was about to try to switch mental images when he heard a shout coming from the monkey robot. Monkey Fist and DNAmy joined him in looking up at the robot's cockpit.

"Got it!"

Justine popped out of the cockpit with a triumphant smile and looked down at rest of the laboratory. Monkey Fist approached her excitedly, loping across the floor on all fours for a moment. He looked up at his captive with a vicious grin.

"Finished, are we?"

"Yes. The robot's ready to go."

"Get down from there, then!"

Monkey Fist gave the robot an appraising look as Justine climbed down the scaffolding that surrounded it. "I don't know why you're so excited," he said. "I'm going to crush your friends momentarily."

Brick watched as Justine grinned for a moment more, and then, almost as if she just realized the expression she was wearing, the grin changed into a frown. Brick had no idea why she was acting so strangely. As Justine climbed to the bottom of the robot, Monkey Fist directed a few henchmen to grab her and direct her towards the laser prison. Kim got up from the prison's floor, anticipating an opening, but the laser bars seemed to shut themselves off only for the briefest of moments – just long enough for the henchmen to throw Justine inside.

Brick helped his girlfriend stand up from the floor, dusting off her skirt a little. "You okay?"

"Yes."

Brick extended his arms to hug Justine, but she turned around almost immediately and watched Monkey Fist climbing into the robot's cockpit. Brick was a little disappointed. Sure, they were about to be annihilated, but he would have liked to get at least a hug before the end came.

"These controls! They're so user friendly and intuitive!"

Monkey Fist hooted with delight as he extended one of the robot's metallic arms. A massive chrome hand clenched itself into a fist as Monkey Fist clenched his own fist inside the cockpit. The scaffolding that had been set up around the robot collapsed as the extending arm brushed against it.

Monkey Fist lowered the robot's arm and and wrapped its steel fingers around a tangled mass of collapsed scaffolding. The robot's arm was long enough that Monkey Fist barely even had to lean down in order to reach the floor. The arm lifted back up into the air, plastic scaffolding platforms and twisted metal poles trailing from a clenched steel hand.

Inside the cockpit, Monkey Fist squeezed his fist again. The glove-like control sockets connecting to his hairy paw sent electrical signals which traveled down the length of the robot's arm. The robot's fist squeezed the mass of scaffolding together. The piercing squeal of rending metal echoed through the laboratory. The robot's fist released itself, and a clump of compacted plastic and metal fell to the ground. Twisted metal poles jutted from the mass, as if it was some kind of bizarre sea urchin.

Monkey Fist noticed the blank look Justine was giving him from inside the laser cage and cackled. "You did an excellent job, Justine! It's a real shame that I'll have to destroy you."

"You mean _I'll_ destroy her, sweetums!"

Monkey Fist peered down from the cockpit at his girlfriend. DNAmy looked up at him from the laboratory floor and waved cheerily.

"Ah yes, of course. Amy will be destroying you, Justine. Revenge for that original creature of hers that you sucked into oblivion. Well, Amy sucked it into oblivion the second time," - Amy looked a little hurt at Monkey Fist's observation - "but good luck using that argument to plea for your life, Justine! Either way, I'll have to satisfy myself with crushing the rest of you! Hahahaha!"

Brick watched Justine's back as she gazed out from their prison – her entire body seemed to tense in anticipation of the punishment that would be meted out upon her. Inside the cockpit, Monkey Fist raised one of his legs up. More electrical signals traveled down to the pistons and gears that operated the monkey robot's leg.

Nothing happened.

Monkey Fist lifted his leg again, expecting his robot's massive appendage to follow suit and raise itself up to take its first step across the laboratory. Still, nothing happened.

"Justine," hissed Monkey Fist between gritted teeth, "I do not believe you have finished this robot yet."

Brick watched his girlfriend staring impassively at Monkey Fist from within the prison. Judging by the look on Monkey Fist's face, he did not want to be on the crazed villain's bad side, but Justine's body had lost its tension. She did not seem to be disconcerted at all. Justine certainly had more nerves than Brick did.

"It looks like I will let you live long enough to fix this thing's-"

Monkey Fist lurched in his cockpit seat as the robot took a step forward. He frowned. Looking down at his own legs, Monkey Fist realized that he had not done anything. The robot had taken a step on its own.

"What is this?"

The robot took several more steps. Brick felt the floor of the laser prison vibrate from the reverberation of massive footsteps across the laboratory floor. The robot made its way to the center of the laboratory, where it stepped onto the large control platform and planted a foot directly into one of Amy's computer terminals. Sparks flew, metal twisted. A grotesque burst of wire innards sprayed out from the equipment as the robot crushed it under a steel foot the size of a car.

"Monty, that's expensive!" shouted DNAmy.

"I'm not controlling it! Justine, what is the meaning of this?"

Monkey Fist screamed in rage as the robot continued to walk on laboratory equipment as if it were stomping grapes. The center of the laboratory let loose a cavalcade of sparks and jagged metal debris. Jets of flame shot out from larger pieces of equipment, and a couple of small fires began to grow amid the destruction. The robot continued stomping, and the laboratory's lights faltered as electrical systems around the laboratory began to fail.

"Nooo!"

Amy tried to run closer to the damage, but she had to shield herself from flying pieces of her broken equipment. "What's going on! Justine, you'll pay for this!"

The robot abruptly stopped its parade of destruction and stood still. Brick noticed that his girlfriend was smiling ominously as she watched the carnage from inside their prison. Most of the henchmen in the laboratory had run hastily away from the destruction around the central platform, and now they watched, stupefied, as the robot stood stock still. Brick shared their expression.

Then, in one of the more bizarre scenes he had ever witnessed, Brick watched as the robot leaned forward in a gesture similar to a polite bow. The cage-like protection around the robot's cockpit head opened up, revealing Monkey Fist more clearly. Monkey Fist looked around in confusion when, in the blink of an eye, the cockpit's chair seemed to temporarily shoot outwards on pistons. Flung out of the chair, Monkey Fist sailed through the laboratory for several seconds before crashing into some tables a couple dozen feet away.

The chair retracted back into its position in the cockpit, and the robot straightened up. It pivoted to face the laser prison across the lab. Brick felt the floor beneath him vibrate more strongly as the machine started to sprint towards the prison at a brisk pace

"Guys, I think we should back up," he said.

"Keep your heads covered," added Justine.

Kim, Ron, and Brick all followed Justine's example, backing away from the laser bars as they crowded together in the center of the prison platform. They held their arms over their heads as they crouched down. None of them needed to see the robot coming to know where it was; they could easily feel its approach.

Just before it looked like the monkey robot was about to stomp straight through the blue laser grid that hemmed them in, it ground to a halt in front of the prison and swung a steel arm through the air. The robot's fist connected with the orb on top of the prison's central pole, from which the basket-like laser grid was emanating. The fist punched the orb clean off of the pole. The lasers disappeared in a shower of bright blue sparks.

Kim looked around at the destroyed prison.

"Well, that's one way to break out."

Monkey Fist's henchmen and monkey minions were still standing around in shock, although a few of them were close enough to the prison that they could attack at any second. Before anyone made any movement, however, Justine ran forward and leaped onto the robot's leg. She used the small hand grips set into the robot's right leg and chassis and pulled her way up to the cockpit in a matter of seconds, strapping herself into the robot's control system as the protective cage around the cockpit closed.

"Stop her, you fools!" shouted Monkey Fist from where he had untangled himself from his hard landing. He held a paw to a splitting headache.

Several of the henchmen rushed forward briefly, but stopped as the robot pivoted to face them. After a moment of consideration, they backed out of range of the robot's long arms. Justine turned the robot again and faced Monkey Fist across the lab. Brick heard his girlfriend cackle in a somewhat unsettling manner.

"What an idiot!" shouted Justine. "You tell me to build a giant mech for you, and you expect me to just smile and nod? I built it alright, but I added a few behavioral algorithms into its CPU that would kick in a few moments after it started up for the first time. Algorithms like, say, ejecting the first occupant of the cockpit."

Monkey Fist scratched his head. He wasn't entirely sure what an algorithm was.

"Now," said Justine, "I hope you're ready." The robot's hands curled menacingly as she took a step forward. "I'm going to do some stress testing on these fists, using your face!"

Monkey Fist gulped and backed away as the monkey robot began to advance towards him. Broken chunks of laboratory equipment skidded across the once-polished floor as the robot lifted its powerful legs. DNAmy ran behind her boyfriend and peeked behind his back as she clung fearfully to him. Although he was annoyed for a moment by the excessive personal contact, Monkey Fist had more immediate concerns.

"Monkey ninjas, stop that robot! Henchmen, what am I paying you fools for? Protect me!"

Monkey Fist's monkey ninjas chattered as they rushed towards the robot, climbing up its legs and body in order to get to the cockpit cage. Kim, who had been fairly astonished at the turn of events, stepped down from the prison platform as a group of henchmen approached her. It looked like many of the henchmen had decided that protecting Monkey Fist was better accomplished by attacking their small human opponents, as opposed to the giant simian robot.

"Brick, Ron, I need backup," said Kim as she prepared himself for a fight.

"Can do," said Brick. "Hey Ron, wanna take the left while I take the right?"

"Sure dude. What's the plan?"

"Run around like we're chickens with our heads cut off?"

"I like it."

Several of the closest henchmen broke into a charge as they got closer to Kim. She met the first one with a sliding kick that knocked him straight over her back, while Brick and Ron rushed out to either side of her, attracting the attention of some of the other henchmen. Kim smiled. Two distractions were definitely better than one. Her opponents were already scattered.

As she traded punches with another henchman, Kim noticed that the monkey robot was flailing around wildly. The outside of the cockpit seemed to be crawling with Monkey Fist's monkey ninjas, who could not slip through the cage bars but were still trying to reach their grasping paws inside at Justine. Justine looked like she was avoiding their grasps, but with the mass of monkey bodies obscuring her vision, she was piloting the robot blindly.

Kim was physically exhausted, but she felt a surge of adrenaline. Another henchman went down after taking the full brunt of Kim's elbow jab. She surveyed the situation around them; this time, she was confident they would come out on top. While it had only been her and Brick during their initial attack, now they had Ron helping them, as well as Justine and her seemingly unstoppable combat machine. As Kim knocked aside the last of the henchmen, she saw Monkey Fist across the laboratory. He had been engaged in a futile attack on the monkey robot, but he spied his redheaded foe and decided she was a better target.

"Kim Possible!" he screamed in rage.

"Quit monkeying around over there!" she yelled.

Monkey Fist snarled as he cracked his knuckles together. Kim extended a hand and beckoned to him.

"Come and get it!"

Monkey Fist sprinted towards her with his simian gait. The two of them were just about to reach each other when a massive booming thud echoed through the laboratory. The sheer force of the sound caused Monkey Fist to inadvertently slip and go rolling across the ground, landing in a heap. Kim had to brace her legs as the floor shook from the sound.

Another thud stopped the rest of the fighting as various henchmen looked around in confusion. The monkey ninjas chattered in fear, scrambling off of Justine's monkey robot as they looked for shelter. Lab equipment fell from tables and shattered on the ground, but compared to the previous din of battle, the lab became eerily silent.

_Whoomp._

Kim finally pinpointed the origin of the sound. On the far end of the laboratory, various computer stations and bizarre, hulking towers of machinery lined the wall, the most prominent of which was the Genetic Zipper. Kim recognized it from her first encounter with Amy at Mount Middleton. One section of wall, however, was dominated by what looked like a large steel garage door. At the moment, the garage door was bulging forward as if something was pressing against it from the other side.

_WHOOMP._

The door bulged out further as cracks radiated from the its frame through the wall. The cracks traveled swiftly along the wall surrounding the door. Kim wasn't sure what the wall was made out of – it looked like concrete, perhaps – but it was clearly not holding up very well. DNAmy began to walk towards the metal doors, but Monkey Fist grabbed her shoulder.

"Hold on Amy, I don't think-"

Another bone-shaking thump was followed by a metallic creak, and the entire wall bulged outward. Henchmen began to run farther away from the wall when the metal door burst out of its frame and skidded across the room. The wall let out a final, rumbling groan as it collapsed outwards. Chunks of concrete and twisted metal flooded out into the laboratory as a blast of air washed over Kim. The overhead lights, which had been flickering ever since Justine's robot rampage, shut down entirely. A veil of darkness fell over the laboratory.

"Brick, Ron, get back to me!"

Kim could dimly see her friends' figures as henchmen began to rush past them, coughing and choking from the cloud of concrete dust that had spread through the room. A loud, angry roar pounded against Kim as she began to make out a massive shape wriggling its way through the broken wall on the other end of the laboratory.

At least now Kim knew where DNAmy's Cuddledactyl had gone.

A few emergency lights flickered on above their heads. The emergency lights, coupled with the glow of a few fires that still burned in the laboratory's central control platform, were enough to illuminate DNAmy's creature. It was the size of a house. Kim thought the creature might even be taller than the height of the laboratory's ceiling - it barely fit into the room.

Hunched over, the creature used its winged arms to pull itself forward into the laboratory like a sardine in a can. Kim glimpsed DNAmy's giddy smile from across the lab, but most of the henchmen were choosing either to scream or to run. The creature's inconvenient size was the only thing that had kept it from reaching Kim and her friends already. Brick and Ron edged backwards along with Kim as henchmen ran past them.

Ron gave Kim a sidelong glance as the massive creature drew closer.

"That would be so cool if it wasn't going to eat us."


	24. Bot, Beast, Battle!

**Bot, Beast, Battle!**

XX

Wade swiveled his desk chair from monitor to monitor, typing furiously as he get some idea of the situation. Ever since his Wade-Bot had been destroyed in Amy's below-ground laboratory, Wade had been unable to get in contact with Kim or Brick.

His friends had been captured for hours – at least, Wade hoped they were only captured, and nothing worse had happened to them. Wade was in communication with Global Justice, and hopefully they would be on their way soon to deal with the situation, but judging by the strange seismic activity going on underneath Amy's house, Wade got the feeling that the situation was changing rapidly. He just hoped that it wouldn't get to the point where he'd have to take matters into his own hands and actually leave his house.

"Wade, honey, dinner's ready. Get your butt down here!"

Wade groaned. "Mom, I'm kind of in the middle of something! I have to rescue my friends from some supervillains!"

His mother's voice continued to ring out from downstairs. "You always gotta be doin' something with supervillains, Wade! You still gotta eat something, boy!"

"You just don't understand, mom. Bring my food up here!"

"What am I, some kinda maid servant down here? I tell you what..."

Wade wiped the sweat from his brow as his mother's voice trailed off down the stairs. Computers and technology stood no chance against Wade's mental prowess, but when it came to his mother – or other human beings of the female persuasion, for that matter – Wade just didn't know how to handle things. At least for the moment, however, he could concentrate on more pressing problems.

A monitor on Wade's left beeped insistently. The image changed from gray static to a familiar face with clipped auburn hair and a black eyepatch.

"Dr. Director!" said Wade as his chair sailed across the plastic floor mat to the monitor. "What's the news?"

"We wrapped up the problem with Dementor in Europe. I'm on my way to Middleton at this very moment, and a strike team is being assembled to converge on Amy's house. Any updates?"

"Still the weird seismic readings underneath the house, that's all."

"Alright. Hold tight!"

Wade sank back into his chair in relief. The way things had been going, Wade had almost expected that he would be forced to formulate some kind of attack plan, go to Amy's lair on his own, and meet Kim and Ron in person for the first time. Not to mention he would have to meet people with whom he was less familiar, like Brick and Justine. Wade just wasn't a people person.

More importantly, if Wade's mother found out her son was fighting a mad geneticist and a mutated monkey man in person, she'd _never_ let him hear the end of it.

XX

"That thing's totally like King Ghidorah!"

Ron gaped at the massive beast as it dragged its way out from the remains of the storage room in which it had been hidden. Even hunched down and crawling on its winged hands, the creature's back reached to the ceiling of the laboratory.

Brick had to disagree with Ron. "I dunno man, it looks more like Rodan to me."

"Could you guys quit nerding out and help me figure out what in the heck we're going to do now?"

Brick and Ron both shrugged as they stood beside Kim, staring at the creature. By now, most of the henchmen had decided that regardless of which side was winning the fight, staying in the laboratory was a bad idea. Numerous uniformed people raced past the teens, their screaming faces appearing out of the gloomy concrete dust that floated in the air like a haze, illuminated by the lab's emergency lights.

The henchmen ran up the main stairway and into Amy's house above the lab. Judging by the various ominous snapping and popping sounds that came from the top of the stairs, Brick guessed that Amy's booby traps were being set off. Just not on their intended targets.

"Amy, why did you make the creature so large if it's just going to destroy your lab?" shouted a voice from the other end of the laboratory. Monkey Fist was trying to put some distance between himself and the newest incarnation of Amy's Cuddledactyl, but it the beast was so large it did not leave much open space in the lab for Monkey Fist to avoid it. His monkey ninjas crowded against him and chattered in fear.

"It's a little larger than I expected," said Amy. "Not an exact science, dear!"

Amy ran towards her Cuddledactyl and stroked its arm soothingly. She pointed towards Brick, Kim, and Ron as they stood near the collapsed remains of the laser prison. The creature followed the path of Amy's finger and focused its eyes on the three figures. At least, as much as a pair of metallic, ink-black eyes could be focused.

"Maul!" ordered Amy.

The Cuddledactyl let out a roar that made Brick's clothing flutter on his body. It pulled itself forward through the lab, further demolishing what was left of the already-wrecked control center. The creature did not seem to notice the fires extinguished against its skin or the broken lab equipment scraping along its belly as it moved forward. Brick was the closest to the creature; and he felt frozen in place as it opened a cavernous, circular mouth filled with inward-jutting teeth.

Brick did not think of himself as a morbid guy. On the rare occasion that he imagined how he might die, 'digestion by monster' had never been his first thought.

Just before Brick was about to turn and run, a massive figure stepped in between him and the creature. It was Justine, towering over Brick in her monkey robot. The robot faced the creature as Justine pivoted her legs. She raised her fists in the cockpit. The robot's metallic paws followed her example, rising up and clenching into a formidable pair of fists.

"Get away from him, you bi-"

Justine's sentence was conveniently cut off as the Cuddledactyl struck out with one of its clawed hands. Brick had to scramble backwards - Kim and Ron following his example - as the robot took several rumbling steps back, almost knocked off balance by the blow. Justine had not been expecting the creature's sudden attack.

The monkey robot leaped forward and grappled with the hulking beast as it hissed and clawed. Justine tried to grab hold of the creature's neck with the robot's paws, but the Cuddledactyl was significantly larger than the robot and she could not get a firm grasp. As the two titans clashed, the remaining henchmen escaped up the stairs or used the Transportulator to get away from the brawl.

"Let's get to the stairs, guys," said Kim. "We need to regroup, and we're not going to do it if we're turned into human pancakes down here."

Kim motioned for Brick and Ron to follow her towards the stairway that led up into Amy's house. Brick hoped that most of the booby traps had already been set off, because they had nowhere else to go – Justine and the beast were hemming them in as the two giants attacked each other.

As he backed towards the stairs, Brick noticed Amy and Monkey Fist in another corner of the lab, trying to avoid being smashed as the monkey robot and Cuddledactyl grappled with each other. Monkey Fist whispered something into Amy's ear, and then pointed towards another area of the laboratory, across from the two battling monstrosities. Brick noticed that Monkey Fist was pointing to the Transportulator, which had been thrown to the ground after the table it was sitting on had been overturned.

"Kim!"

Brick got Kim's attention before she started up the stairs.

"I think they're about to try to transport out of here!"

Kim followed Brick's gestures and saw her two foes across the room. Monkey Fist and DNAmy waited for an opening, and then made a mad dash across the lab as they narrowly avoided the Cuddledactyl's thrashing, half-closed wings. Kim saw the Transportulator on the ground in front of her two foes. She gritted her teeth; there was no way she could let them get away again.

"Oh no you don't!"

Kim knew she would not be able to reach Monkey Fist and DNAmy with the two giants battling between her and her foes. As she looked around the trashed laboratory, Kim noticed her grappling gun lying on the ground amongst some debris. It had been taken from her, along with the Kimmunicator, when Monkey Fist defeated her and put into the laser prison with Brick. Hopefully it was still functional.

Kim rushed towards the grappling gun and performed an acrobatic cartwheel as she reached it, vaulting over a support beam that had fallen from the ceiling and grabbing the grappling gun at the same time. Dropping into a crouch, Kim pointed the gun at Monkey Fist and DNAmy, but they were on the other side of DNAmy's massive creature. She could not get a clear shot.

"Pick any number, Amy," came a panicked voice from across the lab, "just dial whatever is in the-"

Kim realized what they were trying to do. Monkey Fist had picked DNAmy up entirely off the floor with one hand, although he looked like he was straining a little, and the mad geneticist was dialing a number on the Transportulator while Monkey Fist rushed towards the Cuddledactyl's wing and grabbed onto it as best he could. They were going to transport themselves out of the lab, along with the creature.

Kim readjusted her aim. She shot the grappling hook, the line unraveling from the gun as it sailed over the creature's neck. The line wrapped around the creature twice before the grappling hook was embedded into the creature's thick skin. Kim reeled the line in, jerking herself through the air towards the creature as a rising flash of green light began to surge through the lab. As the Cuddledactyl, Justine's robot, and Kim herself were all engulfed by the bright green flash, Kim wondered if she had just made a rash decision. Not that it mattered; it was too late to change her mind now.

XX

"Take them away, boys!"

Betty directed her Global Justice operatives as they herded a group of handcuffed henchmen into a couple of unmarked black vans. After hearing a terrible clamor coming from beneath the house, a number of henchmen had burst out of Amy's front door and run screaming across the yard, straight into Global Justice's hands.

The black Global Justice vans, along with another communications van and a pair of humvees on loan from one of Betty's military contacts, were parked in the road outside of Amy Hall's house. A Global Justice helicopter hovered above the neighborhood. Shadowy rotors turned and lights blinked in the dark sky as a floodlight attached to the helicopter illuminated the house. Betty noticed that, in the floodlights, the white picket fence surrounding the house appeared to glow in the night. With the floodlight illuminating the area, capturing the fleeing henchmen had been easy.

Betty did not normally come along on individual Global Justice missions, but she had more of a personal interest when Kim Possible was involved. Global Justice had been tied up until very recently with Dementor's shenanigans in Europe, and after Wade had filled Betty in on what was going on in Middleton, she knew that her help was needed. Betty's operatives had just finished disarming the booby traps in Amy Hall's house – and giving medical attention to some of the unfortunate henchman who had been caught in the traps as they tried to escape. Now, it was time to make a move.

"Make sure you arrest her!" shouted the grouchy neighbor Betty had been speaking to earlier. He had been more than willing to share information with her when Global Justice pulled into the neighborhood.

"Don't worry, Mr McNamara, we'll take care of things."

A team of Global Justice operatives armed with flashbangs, tranquilizers, and stun guns entered the house as the trap sweepers gave them the all clear. Betty followed the operatives into the house's living room. The decoration was far too kitschy for her taste, but from what Betty had seen in the mad geneticist's Global Justice file, it seemed to fit Amy Hall's personality.

The operatives gathered around the open passageway which had been hidden by a bookcase in Amy's living room. The dark passage led down into Amy's subterranean laboratory. They were aiming their weapons down the stairway when a pair of teens stumbled up the stairs into the living room, oblivious to the black-clad, masked figures around them.

"Ron Stoppable?" asked Betty as her operatives lowered their weapons. "And, um... whoever you are?"

"Brick Flagg."

"What's going on down there? Have you already captured Amy Hall and Monkey Fist?"

Ron shook his head. "They're gone."

"Gone?" Betty frowned. "We didn't see them leave Amy's house, and we haven't discovered any alternate entrances to Amy's laboratory."

"Oh no," said Brick. "They teleported outta there with Dementor's Transportulator. Kim and Justine got warped along with them, and so did Amy's creature and that huge monkey robot."

Betty motioned for Ron, Brick, and her operatives to follow her back out of the house to the communications van. She cursed silently. Clearly they would have to do some tracking and relocate the G.J. team.

Brick looked up at the black sky as they left the house. "Whoa, night already? I guess I lost track of time down there in the hooscow."

"Morning, actually," corrected Betty as she opened the sliding door of the communications van. "So where did they all Transportulate to?"

"Beats me."

XX

Steve Barkin tapped his pencil against lacquered wood. He sat at the receptionist's desk in Middleton High School's main office. The lights were off, except for a single desk lamp that cast a soft light over the desk. A stack of paperwork was neatly aligned along the side of the desk, and the paper Steve was currently working on rested in front of him, parallel with the other lines and angles of the desk. Steve's time in the army had taught him the value of being methodical and organized. Of course, Steve had been doing things by the book ever since he was a child.

Steve glanced at his wristwatch. It read 6:15 A.M. He had already been working in the office for an hour or so. Steve liked to get up early in the morning, perform his calisthenics routine, and go to school in order to get some paper work done before classes started and those insufferable teens poured in like wildebeests on a stampede. Not to mention that Steve had to pick up some of the receptionist's workload. Mrs. McCallister was on indefinite medical leave due to an unfortunate staple remover incident.

At the moment, Steve was taking a quick break from his writing, as per the recommendation of a carpal tunnel syndrome prevention site he had found on the internet. He thought about the spectacular debacle that had been the Lowerton Lemurs game. The Lemurs were supposed to be a throwaway opponent the Mad Dogs could use to end the football season on a high note, but things had not worked out that way. Steve knew that the Mad Dogs would have lost the game if it hadn't been canceled due to that sickening creature that dropped out of the sky.

The game had given Steve some kind of psychological tic – not only was he traumatized at the pounding the Mad Dogs received without Brick Flagg as their quarterback, but the flying creature had brought back unwelcome memories of being genetically fused with Stoppable's naked mole rat. Steve remembered Amy's freshly baked ginger snaps with a shudder. Ever since that ski trip, Steve could not eat ginger cookies without the sudden sensation that he was about to be attacked by mutant genetic hybrids.

"Ugh," he muttered. Steve closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. This was a bad train of thought to be boarding so early in the morning. As he tried to shift onto another track, however, a strange green glow pulsed through his closed eyelids. Steve opened his eyes just in time to see the office absorbed in a blinding flash of light. He blinked several times. Two vague shapes took form beside the office's telephone. To Steve's dismay, he recognized both of them.

"Amy Hall? And the magazine reporter who wanted to talk to Justine? What are _you_ two doing here?"

Monkey Fist stared at the well-built teacher for a moment before he realized that the teacher was referring to him.

"Amy, _this_ is the number you called?"

"It was in the Transportulator's system, sweetie! I didn't have a lot of time to pick, considering we were trying not to get stepped on!"

Steve was wondering what Amy meant by 'stepped on' when he realized Amy and the unusually hairy reporter were not the only new arrivals who had materialized in the wake of the green flash. Steve looked up towards the ceiling and gaped. Part of the ceiling had completely disappeared, and was replaced by the lower half of what looked like a gigantic robot. The robot backed up, causing the ceiling to buckle and sag downwards. Another step backwards, and the office wall behind the robot was punched out with a rumbling crumble of plaster and wood. Steve noticed a familiar figure piloting the robot.

"Justine Flanner?"

"Hello Mr. Barkin!"

A terrifying roar thundered above Steve's head, above the office's fractured ceiling. The roof collapsed even further, sending Amy and Monkey Fist scurrying for cover, as a monstrous clawed foot crashed down into the office beside the robot's foot. Steve caught a glimpse of massive wings attached to clawed hands as the creature, whatever it was, lunged towards Justine's robot with a guttural cry.

"Flanner!" yelled Steve. He leaped away as a chunk of plaster crushed his meticulously arranged desk. "Not again!"

XX

Brick looked around the interior of the Global Justice communications van as they sped through Middleton. Dr. Director, as Ron had called her, was already picking up reports about a major disturbance at Middleton High School. They were just minutes away from arriving. Brick watched as Dr. Director fiddled with an adjustment knob on a computer station set up in the interior of the van. Garbled reports of a fight between two giant creatures were coming through a police frequency. A couple of Global Justice operatives behind Dr. Director scribbled notes down furiously, headsets attached to their heads.

The muffled sound of fighting came from outside the communications van as it approached Middleton High School's general area. The van pulled to a halt as Dr. Director slid open the side door and leaped out. Brick and Ron followed behind her. They were trying to keep a safe distance from the school, but as Brick watched the two towering figures locked in battle ahead of him, he wondered if there was any such thing as a safe distance. The G.J. helicopter beat its rotors through the air above them as it also arrived on the scene.

"Kinda wish we were in that copter instead!" said Brick.

"Really?" said Ron. "Even when Amy's pet can fly?"

"Oh yeah. Hmm, maybe not then."

The two military humvees arrived alongside Dr. Director's van. Several police cars were also at the scene, although they were parked much farther away, obviously more hesitant to approach the chaos on the school grounds. DNAmy's Cuddledactyl was beating its massive wings in the air, sending dust and debris scattering across the high school's grounds as it tried to claw at Justine's robot with its foot talons. Global Justice operatives popped out from the top of the humvees and pointed machine guns towards the flying creature.

"Hold on!" yelled Ron at the operatives. "Kim is hitching a ride on that thing!"

Betty peered at the scene before her. She caught a flash of red hair on the back of the beast, barely visible in the dawn sunlight that had just begun to pour out over the landscape.

"Hold your fire, boys!" she shouted to the operatives.

Not only did Betty want to avoid hurting Kim, but it looked unlikely that they could aim effectively at the creature without accidentally hitting the giant monkey robot as well. Not to mention that Betty had brought the humvees along as a last minute defensive measure. She had another plan that she wanted to try first.

Betty adjusted a small microphone that was attached to a wireless headset she was wearing. "Alpha Chickadee, do you read?"

"Roger."

Betty looked up into the air. "Fire when ready."

Brick watched the two giants grappling each other when, up above him, a trail of smoke caught his eye. The helicopter had approached the scene of the battle more closely, and it appeared to Brick like it had just fired off two missiles at the creature. There was no explosion, however; the smoke trails arced through the air until they reached the creature's mottled skin and then disappeared.

"What was that?" asked Ron.

"Tranquilizers."

Betty watched the Cuddledactyl as it fought the simian robot. Occasionally the robot got in a good punch, but the Amy's pet had the distinct advantage of being able to release itself and fly into the air when it wanted, circling for a moment and then coming back to dive bomb the robot with a powerful blow from its legs. Moments passed, and the creature's behavior did not change. Betty concluded that the tranquilizers had failed.

"Maybe its skin is too thick," offered Brick.

Betty folded her arms together pensively. "Well, that was plan A. Only a few more letters before we get to the 'destroy with extreme prejudice' plan. Unless the two of you have any ideas?"

Brick scratched his head. "How did you guys end up beating Amy's first monster?" he asked Ron.

"Well, Kim and Justine sucked it into a vortex with the Kinematic Continuum Disruptor, of course. Me and Monique distracted it as much as we could with food."

"Food?" asked Dr. Director.

"Yeah, we had these donuts we were shooting at it from some machine!"

Brick thought about Ron's distraction strategy as the Cuddledactyl's cries echoed out over the school grounds. Could they distract it with food? The creature looked like it was already fairly distracted by Justine's attempts to subdue it, but her attempts did not look like they were having much of an effect. Maybe if they got _enough_ food...

"Wait a minute," said Brick. "Monkey Fist and DNAmy were mostly feeding it a diet of Bueno Nacho, right?"

Ron and Rufus both nodded, while Rufus rubbed his belly and groaned.

"Do you have more of that tranquilizer, Dr. Director?"

XX

His school. His beautiful school. Completely ruined.

Steve Barkin stood in a small parking lot in back of what was left of Middleton High School. The back wall of the school was still partially standing, but Steve had just barely avoided the collapse of most of the school's interior as the two interloping giants stomped back and forth in combat. They were still close – Steve could see them over the broken wall, grappling with each other – but he was still in shock at the loss of his beautiful learning institution.

A pair of whispered voices attracted Steve's attention. He glanced to his left and noticed a couple of figures darting in between the parking lot's cars. Steve noticed, with a fatalistic sigh, that his own car had been squarely crushed by a massive chunk of concrete, which must have been thrown into the air as the school was being demolished earlier.

"You two!" Steve barked.

Monkey Fist and DNAmy, who had been crouching behind a two-door car, popped up their heads at the sound of his voice. Monkey Fist looked a little harried, his hair covered in dust, but his expression sharpened maliciously as he caught sight of the teacher.

"Ah, you. Barkin, wasn't it? Think you're going to stop us, do you?"

Barkin narrowed his eyes at the simian Englishman. "Nobody destroys the high school on my watch. Even if this was destruction by proxy, I guess. Either way, you're in SERIOUS trouble!"

"Trouble?" Monkey Fist laughed and assumed a fighting position. "I believe it is _you_ that will soon be in trouble, my good man. I don't suppose you know any Tai Sheng Pek Kwar, do you?"

Barkin shook his head, but responded with his own fighting pose. Monkey Fist lowered his defenses for a moment, surprised at the burly teacher's unexpectedly graceful stance.

"No," said Barkin, "But I did pick up a few moves back in 'Nam."

Monkey Fist sneered and leaped over the two-door behind which he and Amy had been standing. Launching himself off the roof, Monkey Fist hurtled towards his foe. "Huuaah!" he screeched.

The next thing he knew, he was on the ground.

"What the..."

Monkey Fist stood up and brushed himself off. He wasn't even sure what had happened, but apparently this Barkin fellow had a few moves up his sleeve. Monkey Fist snapped back to attention as his opponent rushed at him with a flurry of karate chops. Although Monkey Fist could tell that his own skill was superior, he had to admit that Barkin was not someone to be trifled with, and his large size was proving to be a bit of a challenge.

"Argh!" shouted Monkey Fist as he felt himself backed against a car door. He narrowly evaded one of Barkin's punches, which gave the car a considerable dent. Monkey Fist threw a few sweeping kicks to drive Barkin back, and then leaped back over the car to where Amy was hiding. Monkey Fist was getting impatient; Barkin obviously wasn't going to go down easily, and the more he and Amy lingered, the higher their chances of being caught.

"New strategy, Amy."

"What's that, sweetums?"

"Run!"

XX

Jim and Tim Possible sat glued in front of the television as they watched the local morning news. The current top story was the battle taking place on Middleton High School grounds between a giant simian robot and a flying genetic hybrid monster. The twins glanced at each other joyfully as they watched the behemoths duking it out. Their parents sat behind them on the living room couch, not looking nearly as pleased.

"Oh man, that robot isn't gonna last forever," said Tim. "Whoever made the chassis did a bad job!"

"Yeah," agreed Jim, "but the control system is incredible."

The twins turned around to face their parents with an imploring expression.

"Mom, dad?" began Jim.

"Can we ride on a flying dinosaur too?" Tim continued. "How come Kim gets to do it and not us?"

James Possible stared at the television screen with a frown. From time to time, the on-site cameraman managed to catch a glimpse of wild red hair as his daughter clung to the back of the beast. James and Anne did not want to go to the scene of the battle, partly because they had confidence in their daughter's ability to handle things, and partly because they knew they would only be getting in the way. Still, James did not like what was happening one bit. Especially not on a school day.

"No, you certainly can't," said Anne Possible, voicing James' thoughts.

"Why not?"

"Kim is a professional," explained James.

"No she's not!" said Jim.

Tim pointed at the television. "She puts herself in horrible danger for free!"

James grumbled. He had been using the word more in terms of Kim's ability level, but sometimes his sons' intelligence could be uncanny.

The news report, which had been playing live footage of the battle, switched to a shot of Summer Gale reporting from the scene, albeit at a great distance from the fighting itself. She appeared to be on the roof of a building while the two battling figures grappled in the distance behind her.

"Summer Gale, reporting from the scene of an epic battle in suburban Middleton. Behind me," said Gale as the camera briefly focused to the scene beyond her, "Middleton High School student Justine Flanner is battling with a monstrous beast on the grounds of her school. Flanner is a student often associated with abnormally large monster attacks and mass property damage.

"As you can see," Gale continued, "the high school is almost completely demolished! Due to the extenuating circumstances, Middleton High School classes will be canceled today."

Jim and Tim looked at each other in excitement.

"Middleton _Middle_ school classes, however, will follow their normal schedule."

"Aww!"

XX

Justine was sweating profusely inside the cockpit. Her mech's controls worked beautifully, but piloting the robot was more of a workout than she had expected. Monkey Fist probably would have been able to do it more easily with his martial arts abilities, but Justine did not spend a lot of time honing her physical skills. Moving the robot's arms and legs required Justine to mimic the movements in the cockpit, her own limbs being attached to glove and boot-like enclosures filled with sensors. The effort was wearing her out. Especially combined with the jarring effects of the creature's repeated attacks.

Justine tried to grab hold of one of the creature's legs with the monkey robot's paws, but she lost her grip as the robot stumbled across broken debris on the school grounds below her. The Cuddledactyl flew away from her temporarily and circled in the air. Justine braced herself as it approached her again, its taloned feet extended outwards. She felt the entire mech slide backwards as the creature struck her like a wrecking ball. The Cuddledactyl clawed at the cage surrounding the cockpit with its hands, but fortunately the cage seemed to be holding up for the moment.

As Justine tried her best to wrestle with the creature, she caught the occasional glimpse of Kim, clinging for dear life on the creature's back. How Kim had gotten up there, Justine had no idea, but it did not look like the teen hero was enjoying the ride. Justine also noticed a helicopter circling in the air beyond them, but it seemed to be keeping its distance from the increasingly demolished high school.

The Cuddledactyl made another brief round through the air and hit the robot again. Wind from the creature's flapping wings buffeted against Justine as she tried to keep control of the robot, but the hit was too powerful – her monkey mech tottered backwards several steps before smashing into the side of the gym building. Justine felt the robot fall backwards, its inertia counteracting her ability to control it. The gymnasium's roof and walls crumbled beneath Justine's robot as if it had fallen on a sand castle. A plume of dust and debris that had been raised by the robot's collapse fell back down onto the cockpit, making Justine cough and squint her eyes.

"Come on, stupid thing!"

Justine tried to push the robot back into an upright position with its arms, but it was tangled in the ruins of the gymnasium. Before she could wrest herself free, a black shape descended on her through the dusty air. Its monstrous mouth opened wide as it slammed against the robot's chassis. Justine heard the sound of metal creaking and twisting. Her right arm no longer seemed to elicit any response from the robot, and she noticed that the cage surrounding her cockpit was becoming increasingly battered. At this rate, Justine began to wonder if she was in deep trouble.

Before she had even finished the thought, the creature screeched angrily and hooked both of its winged hands against the protective metal cage surrounding the cockpit. It jerked its claws several times, and the cage mesh finally gave way with a metallic squeal. Justine held up her arms and tried to block several metal bars that fell down against her while the rest of the cage was pulled away. She was completely exposed.

XX

Kim held back the urge to barf.

She wasn't sure what she had been planning when she had shot her grappling hook around the Cuddledactyl's neck and reeled herself onto its back before it got teleported. After clinging to the creature's back for what seemed like forever as it flew around and fought with Justine's robot, Kim realized there wasn't much she _could_ do. She was hard pressed just to keep a firm grip without being flung from the creature's back into the sky.

Kim felt her body vibrate as the Cuddledactyl swooped down and landed a particularly heavy blow on Justine's robot. A loud rumble rolled out from beneath her as the robot fell back against the Middleton High School gym building, but the Cuddledactyl did not seem to have anticipated the robot's fall – it lifted off back into the air temporarily. Before long, however, it swooped back down with a screech and landed on the fallen robot. Kim risked a glance over the creature's shoulder, since it was no longer airborne. The Cuddledactyl's clawed hands had just torn away the protective cockpit cage, leaving Justine open to attack.

"Justine!"

Kim took aim and fired the grappling gun into the cockpit, trying to avoid hitting its occupant. Justine ripped herself out of the robot's control system as quickly as possible. She leaped onto the grappling line, anticipating what Kim was trying to do. Kim reeled the line back, pulling Justine upwards from the wrecked robot. The line narrowly missed the Cuddledactyl as it twisted its head in an attempt to catch Justine in its toothy maw. As it snapped at Justine, she missed its toothy maw by inches. Kim extended a hand and pulled Justine up onto the creature's back as it let out a roar of frustration.

"Hold on," said Kim as she grabbed hold of the creature as best she could. The Cuddledactyl lifted off into the air again, conscious of its unwanted passengers but unable to fling them from its back.

XX

Brick and Ron stood by the communications van as they watched the Cuddledactyl fly in circles over the high school's scattered wreckage. The battle had been raging for a couple of hours, when the creature managed to subdue the robot and tear away the cockpit cage. Brick was about to run towards the scene until he saw Kim pull Justine up onto the creature's back with her grappling gun. Now, for some reason, the Cuddledactyl seemed to be keeping in the general area of Middleton High School as it flew in circles.

Dr. Director had been holed up in the communications van for a while. She had ordered the two teens to stay near the van in case they needed to make a rapid retreat if either or the two giants approached too closely. Brick was concerned; the battle had turned decidedly in the creature's favor.

"Man, I hope this works out," Brick said.

As they watched the Cuddledactyl flying aimlessly in circles around the school ruins, Dr. Director emerged from the communications van. She watched the street behind them, which led off into a Middleton suburb close to the school. After a moment, an eighteen-wheeler appeared in the distance. Brick and Ron joined Dr. Director and watched the truck as it drew closer. The truck passed them by, and Brick read the letters stenciled on the side of the semi-trailer: Bueno Nacho.

Dr. Director motioned for the truck to drive out closer to the school, into the field on the other side of the street that led up to the school's front entrance. The truck performed a broad turn and reversed towards the spot that Dr. Director was motioning towards.

"Everybody get that cargo out!"

Betty shouted at the the other Global Justice operatives who had been lounging about for lack of anything better to do, while the truck driver himself got out and pulled open the semi-trailer's back door. Brick and Ron rushed towards the truck to help out. Inside of the trailer, Brick saw a massive pile of Bueno Nacho Nacos.

"Pile it on the ground," said Dr. Director.

Several snow shovels lay stuffed into the side of the trailer, beside the Naco heap. Brick, Ron, and the operatives grabbed the shovels and began shoveling Nacos out of the truck as fast as they could. Rufus poked his head out of Ron's pocket, whiskers twitching curiously. He was getting ready to leap out and go for one of the Nacos, but Betty motioned for him to stop.

"That's a bad idea. They've already been dosed with tranquilizer. And they're still partially frozen. To get this many Nacos, we had to grab a shipment straight from the Bueno Nacho cold storage warehouse in Upperton."

"Hmph!" Rufus rolled his eyes. Brunch would have to wait.

It took several minutes to build up a decent pile, but eventually the Bueno Nacho truck's trailer emptied out as the Nacos were shoveled into the open field. Brick wiped the sweat from his brow after shoveling another load onto the pile. He looked up as a roar came from the sky.

"Get back!" shouted Dr. Director. "It's coming!"

XX

Kim held on for dear life as the Cuddledactyl dive bombed out of the sky. She felt like the creature was going to hurtle straight into the ground, but after a moment it leveled out in its flight. Massive wings beat the air on either side of Kim as the creature descended to the ground. As the Cuddledactyl leaned its head down, Kim was able to look over its shoulders again. It appeared to be eating a pile of food. Kim looked closer. Not just a pile of food - a pile of Nacos.

Farther away from the creature, down the road that led away from the remains of Middleton High School's front entrance, Kim spied a group of vehicles. In the midst of of the vehicles stood Dr. Director, Brick, and Ron. Kim smiled and waved at Ron. He waved back.

"What's it doing?" asked Justine from her perch beside Kim on the Cuddledactyl's back. She was still too terrified of the creature's airborne acrobatics to lift herself up and look down at the ground.

"It's eating a pile of food on the ground."

"What? Where did that come from?"

Kim peered at the group of people over by the vehicles. A number of Global Justice operatives were also gathered around Dr. Director and her friends, and a large Bueno Nacho truck was parked nearby, its back hanging open.

"It looks like some kind of trap they set for the creature. I-"

Kim was interrupted by an abrupt shift in the creature's weight. The creature stood upright beneath them, and Kim barely had time to cling to her grappling line wrapped around the Cuddledactyl's neck before its back went vertical. She grabbed onto Justine's arm before her fellow passenger fell off. They might survive a drop to the ground, but Kim did not want to risk it, and more importantly, she did not want to fall in the middle of a field in plain sight of Amy's monster.

"What's it doing?" Justine asked.

"I don't know. Um, yawning?"

Kim heard a strange sound come from the creature's mouth. It seemed to be getting disoriented. Kim realized that the food must have been drugged. The Cuddledactyl took several awkward thundering steps across the ground, and then, inexorably, it fell backwards. Justine let out a scream, and Kim turned around just in time to see the earth rushing towards her.

XX

Brick and Ron both broke into a run.

"Justine!"

From his vantage point next to the communications van, Brick had seen Amy's Cuddledactyl lose consciousness and collapse onto its back. He could have sworn that it had just crushed its two passengers. As Brick approached the half-eaten pile of Nacos, however, a familiar figure appeared from behind the unconscious creature. Her fiery red hair was illuminated by the morning's light.

"Kim!"

Ron passed Brick. Arms outstretched, Ron was about to run to Kim and embrace her when Kim was unceremoniously pushed aside by Justine, who ran past both of them to get to her boyfriend.

"Brick!"

Justine leaped into her boyfriend's embrace. Brick's considerable size was not enough to keep him from fighting for balance as he held on to Justine. Her hair band had fallen off sometime during her flight on the creature's back, and wind-blown blonde hair fell in a tangle around her head. Justine's hair settled down over Brick's face, forming a veil as her lips met his own. Her kiss was like nothing he had felt before. Brick was light as a feather, weightless. Justine kissed him, and he kissed her back. She kissed him like nothing else mattered.

As Brick lowered Justine's smaller frame to the ground, he had to laugh.

"I'm glad you're okay too."

Ron gave Brick a slap on the back as he and Kim walked by, returning to the communications van where Dr. Director was standing and watching the scene. If Brick was not mistaken, he thought he caught a glimpse of his two friends squeezing their hands together for a moment. As he trailed behind the two teens with his girlfriend, Brick took a last look behind him at the creature. It was breathing, but it was definitely down for the count. At least for now.

The Global Justice helicopter passed overhead like a vulture, scattering a few uneaten Nacos as it kept watch over the creature's inert bulk. Dr. Director motioned for some of her operatives to fan out around the creature as a precaution.

"Everyone alright?" Dr. Director asked as the teens approached.

Brick nodded. He wrapped an arm down around Justine's waist as they left the school's ruins behind them. Their mission – or rescue operation, Brick wasn't sure what Kim might call it at this point – was over. The rest of the day lay ahead of them.

At that moment however, more than anything else in the world, Brick wanted to collapse onto his bed and take a nap. Second on the list of things he wanted most was to spend some time with Justine. Judging by the high school's flattened ruins, Brick guessed he would have more than enough free time coming up to do exactly that.


	25. Jock

**Jock**

XX

Mason Flagg braced himself to keep from losing his balance as the Flanners' car took a sharp turn. He was in the back seat, Ted Flanner was in the passenger side in front front, and Leona was driving. Mason had offered to take the Flanners in his truck, but they had taken one look at the inside of the truck and politely declined. Mason hadn't cleaned it in a while, but he didn't think it was _that_ bad.

The three of them had been watching the news at the Flanner residence all morning, since Mason had been staying over at their house to keep them updated whenever his son called. At first Mason had told them they should all probably stay out of the way, but Ted and Leona had overruled him after seeing the flying creature tear Justine's robot apart after knocking it into the gymnasium building. Mason wasn't going to argue with them. After all, now that Brick had escaped safely from that scientist woman's lair, Mason wanted to see his son again.

The car screeched to a halt as it reached a group of vehicles, and the Flanners leaped out with Mason close behind. He was surprised by the variety of vehicles in the area; there were a couple of humvees parked nearby, several vans, an eighteen-wheeler, a helicopter circling overhead, an ambulance, and numerous police cars farther away. Mason noticed that a number of policemen, aided by some important-looking people in dark uniforms, seemed to be cordoning off the media as well.

Beyond the closest collection of vehicles, the road wound its way up to the front steps of what had once been Middleton High School. If Mason did not already know what the building had been, it would have looked like a nondescript pile of rubble. The remains of Justine's robot lay twisted amidst the ruins. Mason also noticed a flatbed truck was approaching the unconscious creature that had been attacking Justine on television. The creature lay in a field in front of the school, on its back. A massive, mottled stomach gave slow heaves up and down, as if the creature was deep in slumber.

"Dad!"

Mason smiled at the sight of his son waving to him beside a black van. Brick was talking to an athletic-looking woman with a black eye patch. Justine, Kim Possible, and a sandy-haired boy that Mason recognized as Ron Stoppable were also there. Justine and Kim were being checked out by a few paramedics. Mason wondered if it was standard practice to give a person a once-over when they had just finished riding on top of a mutant dinosaur creature. The Flanners raced over to their daughter as Mason approached his son.

"Hey," laughed Mason as a pair of burly arms wrapped around him in a hug. Mason was a large man, but his son was big enough to wind him with a strong embrace. "Glad you're alright, Brick."

The woman with the eye patch approached Mason and shook his hand. "You're Brick's father?"

"Yep. Mason Flagg, nice to meet you."

"I'm Betty. Betty Director."

"That's your last name? Director?"

Betty frowned. "No, I'm the Director of Global Justice. But my name is also Betty."

Mason nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Your son's been a great help. Kim tells me that Brick helped her out quite a bit when they were trying to rescue Ron and Justine. Brick was also the one who came up with the idea of drugging the creature so we could get it back on the ground."

Mason stared at the half-eaten pile of Nacos still laying in the field. "Yeah, I was gonna ask why those were sitting there."

"You have good timing," said Betty. "We only just managed to subdue the creature a few moments ago, in fact. Kim and Justine came a bit close to being crushed underneath it, so we're making sure they're okay."

Leona and Ted approached the group with their daughter in tow, who had finally managed to shoo the paramedics away after convincing them she was fine.

"Justine's parents? Nice to meet the two of you," said Dr. Director as she shook their hands. "So, Justine, I was told that you designed that monkey mech yourself?"

"Sort of. Monkey Fist's henchmen built it off of my schematics, although I would have done some things differently. I did make most of the control system, though."

Betty was impressed. The mech hadn't been able to best the creature, but considering the creature's size, Betty was surprised that the robot had lasted as long as it did. She knew Global Justice did not have anyone on the payroll who could build a mech of that size.

"You know," she told Justine, "if you're interested, we might be able to line up a position for you at Global Justice. Once you finish your education, of course. We might be able to arrange for some kind of scholarship as well, if it would help you out."

Justine raised her eyebrow. She had never given any thought to working for an organization like Global Justice. To be honest, that seemed like something more in Kim's area. But the offer was tempting.

"I'd have to think about it."

Leona squeezed her daughter's shoulder. She was a bit surprised; Leona had always assumed that building robots was just a pastime for Justine, something to do on the side when Justine wasn't busy with physics, but clearly her daughter had a variety of talents. Leona was happy to see that the very important-looking woman with the eye patch recognized that fact as well.

"So why didn't that thing fly away?" asked Ted. "It looked like it was just circling over the high school for a long time."

Dr. Director shrugged. "It would have been a nightmare to have to follow that thing if it left Middleton, so we're glad it stuck around. But we're not really sure why it did."

"If I had to guess," said Kim, "I'd say it was looking for its mother."

The creature was awkwardly hoisted onto the back of the flatbed truck, which looked like it was about to buckle from the added weight. The truck began to struggle onto the road as the creature's bulk spilled over the sides of the flatbed. It didn't look like the most effective transportation strategy, but there did not appear to be any better way to move it.

Mason squeezed his son's shoulder – he was glad Brick was safe, along with Justine and all of his friends. As the flatbed truck left, Mason wondered where they were taking the creature. He had a strange feeling that if he asked the imposing woman with the eyepatch, she would not be giving him an answer.

XX

"I just hope they don't hurt my baby!"

Monkey Fist rolled his eyes. Amy had been blathering on about her Cuddledactyl for the last hour, when she should have been happy to escape from that mess.

After that bizarre fight with Kim Possible's high school teacher, Monkey Fist and Amy had managed to sneak through town and make their way into a bus station while avoiding Global Justice and Middleton police patrols. One of the wall-mounted televisions at the bus station had been playing a newsreel about the scene of destruction from which they had just escaped. Amy began to cry hysterically after seeing her unconscious Cuddledactyl being carted away on a flatbed truck, which was followed by ominous looking unmarked vans.

The newscast had followed the clip with a old stock photo of Monkey Fist – from his days as Montgomery Fiske, archaeologist – beside another photo of Amy. The two photos were topped by the word _wanted_ in large red letters. As numerous people lounging around the bus station had begun to take notice of Amy's crying, Monkey Fist knew they needed to get out of Middleton, fast. Now they were on a bus out of town.

"I'm sure your Cuddledactyl will be fine, Amy. Be thankful we've escaped."

Monkey Fist watched hilly forests pass by outside the bus window as it whizzed along the highway. They would have to lie low for a while, but as far as Monkey Fist was concerned, they had gotten lucky. One wrong move and they both could have been pancaked into the rubble of Middleton High School before they knew what hit them. Monkey Fist could have sworn their plan was foolproof, but everything had backfired. Amy's creature had destroyed her own lab, Justine had managed to turn the robot against him...

That stupid robot. Monkey Fist had to admit he had been excited when Justine finally completed the robot, but now that he thought about it, perhaps mechanical monkeys had been a bad idea all along. This scheme had been a change of pace for him, a foray into new territory. Playing with technology instead of magic, working with a crazed geneticist instead of going solo. Monkey Fist liked to believe he was swinging to new branches, testing himself, further clarifying who he was.

But perhaps the lesson to be learned was that sometimes a person couldn't change. Sometimes it was best to stick to the tried and true. Devices like the Transportulator and the Genetic Zipper - or even the monkey robot - were amusing gimmicks, but when it came down to it, clearly technology could not be trusted compared to a good old fashioned magical monkey talisman.

As Monkey Fist's girlfriend sat on the bus seat beside him and dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, he wondered if the time was right to break things off. Amy had served her purpose as his accomplice in evil, and look how that turned out. Besides, Monkey Fist had been tiring of their relationship even before they started this latest scheme. Yes, Monkey Fist thought. Better to do it now, when he was not tied down by any ongoing projects.

"Amy," said Monkey Fist as sweetly he possibly could, which wasn't saying much, "perhaps this whole episode has taught us a valuable lesson."

"What's that, monkey-wunkey?"

Monkey Fist grimaced. "Well, you're a renowned biogeneticist, and I am the undisputed master of monkey kung fu and all things simian. Perhaps we just aren't a good match for each other."

Amy sniffed and stared at her boyfriend. "Monty, what are you saying?"

"This may be a good time for the two of us to take a break, don't you think? After all, you need to figure out how to get your Cuddledactyl back from that mean organization, and I need my space."

For a moment, Amy looked like she was about to cry again, but she broke into a whooping laugh instead. Monkey Fist was taken off guard. Despite being an unwilling passenger on Amy's current emotional roller coaster, he had not expected this unexpected twist in the track.

"Oh Monty, you're so silly! We're not breaking up."

"We're not?"

"Of course not. This is my time of need. And you know what," said Amy as she put her handkerchief away, "I'll miss Cuddledactyl, but I _did_ make him to replace my Cuddlesaurus. Why should I always be stuck in that vicious cycle? Maybe I've lost track of what's really important. I do love my pets, but I can always make replacements. But you know what, Monty?"

Amy leaned closer. Monkey Fist found her expression entirely too ominous. She stared at him expectantly with red-rimmed, wild eyes, reining in the remnants of her crying with a few sniffs.

"What?" asked Monkey Fist.

"I can never replace you!"

Monkey Fist laughed nervously as Amy embraced him. A sinking feeling began to take hold in the pit of his stomach as he took stock of his situation. _Oh dear,_ he thought. _ I've made a huge mistake._

XX

Mason waved as Brick left with his friends. He would have preferred to spend some time with his son at home, seeing as Brick had just been in mortal danger, but Ron had convinced the group to go to Bueno Nacho for lunch since they hadn't eaten in a long time. As long as he got to spend some time with Brick later, Mason didn't mind them leaving for just a little while.

As the teens walked down the road, Mason noticed Brick's football coach walking across the now empty field where the pile of Nacos and the flying creature had been sprawled out. Steve Barkin had been talking to some Global Justice operatives, who were now trying to load the remains of the monkey robot onto yet another flatbed truck, but it looked like their conversation had ended.

"Hey, Steve Barkin," Mason shouted. "How's it going?"

Steve walked over to Mason and gave him a handshake. "Could be better."

"Oh, yeah. The school and all."

Mason coughed. Perhaps it had been a stupid question.

"I was fighting that sick scientist woman and the monkey man, but they got away," said Steve. "Couldn't take the discipline I was dishing out!"

"Ah. Is Global Justice gonna be after them now?"

"I suppose. It didn't seem like they were very interested. Seemed like they were more interested in the monkey robot and that monster."

Mason looked over to the high school gymnasium's pancaked wreckage. The robot was in bad enough shape that Global Justice seemed to be dismantling it and removing it piece by piece. Mason was just glad that Justine had managed to get out of that thing safely.

A crash rang out from the school's ruins as the small crane that had been brought in to help lift pieces of the robot accidentally dropped a metallic arm. Mason watched as a plume of dust rose up, sending Global Justice operatives staggering back and coughing. Justine and that creature had really done a number on the school building, Mason thought. They'd probably have to just tear the rest of it down and rebuild it entirely. As he stared at the wreckage, an idea popped into Mason's mind.

"You know, I've got some contacts in the construction industry," he told Steve. "I'd be happy to help you out when it comes to getting that place rebuilt. Cut through some red tape, maybe."

Steve nodded. "That sounds good. I don't know why we don't already have a long-term relationship with a construction company set up, what with how much damage Middleton takes."

Steve sighed and brushed the remaining dust and debris from himself. He had been rooting through his office to try to retrieve some paperwork, but it looked like most of it was damaged beyond repair. Still, if those teens thought they were going to get a free pass on the rest of the year, they were sadly mistaken. Steve and the rest of Middleton High School's faculty – those who were not out sick or injured - would figure something out.

"Well, how about we exchange some information and talk about things later?" asked Mason.

"Sure."

Steve followed Mason as he walked to his truck to get some paper and a pencil.

"By the way, Mr. Flagg, can I get a ride home? My car is a little bit crushed."

XX

Bonnie glanced around furtively from her vantage point amongst some bushes. No one was walking by, and there was a lapse in the traffic driving across the street in front of her; the coast was clear. Now was as good a time as any. Bonnie raced across the road and burst through the comic shop's doors before any passersby could see her.

Especially not in her new outfit.

"Greetings, Queen Bonnie of Rockwallia! You're just in time to-"

Larry cut off abruptly at the sight of Bonnie's outfit. Bonnie smirked at the sight of his slack-jawed expression, which most of the other players sitting around the card table were mimicking. Her outfit had exactly the effect that she had been hoping for.

"Hi guys," said Bonnie as she flounced across the room and took a seat at the table between Charlotte and Larry.

Bonnie was just as pleased by Charlotte's peeved expression as she was by the boys' reactions. After hearing the news that Middleton High School classes were indefinitely canceled, Bonnie had called Larry to see what his plans were for the afternoon. Tabletop gaming was exactly the answer Bonnie was hoping for. Before leaving for the shop, she had put the finishing touches on her outfit. It was meant to be Queen Bonnie of Rockwallia's royal outfit and regalia.

Bonnie reached up and carefully adjusted the outfit's most important accessory: the crown. She also wore a purple skirt and a metal breastplate – she was a warrior queen, after all – but neither the skirt nor the breastplate left much to the imagination. It certainly wasn't armor that one would wear into battle. But then, Queen Bonnie of Rockwallia had flunkies to do most of the battle for her. Flunkies who were currently staring at her with mouths that could catch flies.

"I like the changes that you're made to your, um – the skirt. Breastplate?" Larry's thoughts seemed to be derailing. "The outfit. It is most definitely queen. Fit for a queen, I mean. What were we doing?"

"Hopefully not starting without me," purred Bonnie.

"Oh no, of course not!"

Charlotte coughed loudly and took out the notes from the previous game. "Where were we last time... oh yes. Traveling through the dungeons of Vorgok. We were being attacked by a band of wild underground Vorgs."

Bonnie noticed the gaming group had set up a small portable television in the middle of the table, which was tuned to a news station. They were listening to the reporter, Summer Gale, recapping the recent battle that had destroyed Middleton High School. Bonnie frowned as stock footage began to play, showing Kim Possible with her insufferably gorgeous hair riding on top of that flying beast.

"After which," reported Gale, "according to eyewitness reports, Kim Possible wrestled the beast to the ground and saved Middleton in yet another addition to an unbeatable track record as world-saving hero!"

"That's my cousin," said Larry. "She's like a real life Queen Bonnie of-" he stopped after noticing Bonnie's piercing glare. "Er, she's good at freak fighting. That's what you called it, right Bonnie?"

"That's right. That's not even what happened anyway. I called Brick earlier, he and Ron were the ones that came up with how to take the creature down."

Bonnie watched the news report, feeling her annoyance rising as she pouted and petulantly crossed her arms. "Riding on the back of a giant reptile bat monster. K always has to hog the spotlight."

The other players at the table sat in awkward silence until Larry decided to begin the game where they had left off last time.

"Let's see here. The first Vorg attacks Queen Bonnie of Rockwallia for 2d12, which makes..." Larry rolled a pair of dice across the table. Even Charlotte winced at the result. "Um, 24 damage."

Bonnie glared at the dice. "Larry, are you sure that's what it was?"

"Indeed."

"I think it was more like four damage."

Larry adjusted his glasses for a moment, peering at the sides of the dice that were facing up. "But I don't think that-"

"Four damage, Larry."

Larry decided it was best to reconsider his results. "You're right. Four damage it is!"

"By the way, Larry, I'm kind of hungry. Do you think you could go over to that corner store and buy me a snack and a soda?"

"But Bonnie, we just started the game."

"Please, Larry?"

Bonnie reached over and gave Larry's leg a squeeze. The table was deathly silent for several moments, other than a muffled cough from one of the other players. Larry looked down at the tanned hand on his leg, the immaculate fingernails. He felt like he was being used, like he was a piece of meat. Nothing but Bonnie's pudgy lackey. Maybe even her slave.

And he loved it.

"Yes Bonnie. Never fear everyone, I'll be quick!"

The other players smiled dutifully at Bonnie as Larry rushed out of the store. Bonnie smiled back as she absently stroked her crown. The game was on pause, and the news reporter was droning on about how great Possible was, but Bonnie was already beginning to feel better. Let Kim have her day, as usual, thought Bonnie. Possible might be a teen hero and technical head of the cheerleading team, but here in the shop? Bonnie was queen.

XX

Brick walked up to the Bueno Nacho's front counters and nodded at the uniformed boy behind the register.

"Hey Ned, how's it going?"

"Oh, you know," Ned replied, "just carrying out my official Bueno Nacho duties! I was hoping I could play a game of _Crypts and Creatures_ over at the comic shop with Larry and Bonnie and everybody, but my coworker called in sick, and since there's no school today I was chosen to replace him."

"That sucks, dude."

Ned had to agree, but as a Bueno Nacho employee, it was his job to put on a smile for the customer. "Yes, but such is life, Brick. Duty calls. It was an exciting morning, at least! But you know _that_, of course."

Brick nodded with a yawn. "Yeah, I'd like to just go home and fall asleep, but Ron and Rufus dragged all of us to Bueno Nacho to celebrate not getting eaten by eating stuff." Brick thought about Ron's insatiable appetite. "I guess Ron never runs out of energy when it comes to Nacos. Even if he was almost monster chow just hours ago."

Brick was about to make his order when something that Ned had said a moment ago sunk in. "Hey, wait a minute, did you say Bonnie is at the comic shop?"

"Not exactly. Queen Bonnie of Rockwallia is there."

Brick had to think for a moment, but he was fairly sure it was some kind of a nickname. "What's, uh, Bonnie of Rockwallia doing there?"

"Playing a game of with the rest of the shop's denizens, of course!"

"Hmm."

Brick tried to imagine Bonnie in a comic shop in the middle of a role playing game, but he simply couldn't form the image. First robots, and now games. Brick wondered if Bonnie was branching out a little as well. He'd have to strike up a conversation with her when he got the chance – she did say she wanted to have some space for a while, but Brick thought things could smooth out between them eventually.

After Ned finished getting his orders, Brick returned to the booth with a tray of food balanced in each hand. Ron and Rufus both leaped on the trays, grabbing their orders and probably a little extra on the side. Brick didn't mind; he wasn't that hungry anyway, and Kim looked about as tired as he was.

"Hey Monique!" Brick noticed the black-haired teen had appeared in their booth at some point while he was off ordering food. "What are you doing here?"

"Ron called me. I just had to get over here so I could get the B.S. on what happened at the school!"

"Uh, B.S?" asked Brick.

"The Big Story."

"Oooh. Yeah, that's what I thought it meant."

"Why, you unhappy to see me or something, Brickie?"

"Not at all!"

Brick unwrapped his Naco and fended off Rufus as best he could, who had already gone through his own order. "It was just the usual for Kim and Ron I guess. Kim got buried under a mountain, we helped her escape but then we got caught in this crazy geneticist lady's mad science lab, then Justine got into a giant robot and had to fight the crazy lady's genetic hybrid monster and they both got warped out over the high school and destroyed everything." Brick glanced at Kim. "That right?"

"Huh?"

Brick smiled at the sight of Kim jerking her head up after almost nodding off. "Definitely, that's what happened."

Kim looked at her salad order for a moment, but then gradually sank down into her chair as she began to nod off again. Her head ended up resting on Ron's shoulder. Brick gave Ron a wink, which was returned by a goofy grin.

"Oh, and guess what!" said Brick. "Justine got an offer to work for Global Justice!"

Monique raised an eyebrow and high-fived Justine. "Nice one, girl! You gonna take them up on that?"

"I'm not sure yet," said Justine. "I'd still want to go to college, so that's a long way from now. I don't know what I want to do in the next week, much less what I'd want to do that far in the future."

"Fair enough." Monique nudged Brick in the shoulder. "So how about you, huh? What is this, like the second time you've been on a mission with Kim? You thinking of being a teen hero too?"

"He could be," said Justine. "You should have seen him fighting in the laboratory. He was sacking people left and right! And Kim said he helped a lot when he and Wade were trying to rescue her from the cave-in at Mount Middleton, right Kim?"

"Hnngh," mumbled Kim as she drooled just a little bit on Ron's shoulder. Ron did not look like he minded.

Monique nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

Brick smiled and took a bite of his Naco. He wondered what would happen now that Middleton High School was destroyed. Perhaps they'd just be shuttled over to Upperton High School. Or, worst of all, Lowerton High School. Brick imagined that taking classes there would be awkward after the debacle at the last football game. At least Brick hadn't been responsible for that loss. If he had still been quarterback, Brick told himself, the Mad Dogs would have been knocking the Lemurs all over the field.

"Hey Ron," said Brick.

Ron looked up from a mouthful of Naco that was clearly too big for his mouth. "Whmpth?"

"You should really try out for the Middleton Mad Dogs, dude. I think you might have a chance with your running skills. I saw you down there in the laboratory."

"You think so?" asked Ron after swallowing. "I dunno, Brick."

"Sure, I don't think Steve Farley is long for the team. He didn't look like he was digging it out there in the field much."

"I don't think Eddie Jackson is long for the team, either," Monique pointed out. "So that means there's still two positions that would be open. Ron can only fill one of them."

Brick nodded slowly. He wasn't sure if Eddie Jackson would quit the team – if anything, he might just go back to his old position and someone would would be promoted to quarterback – but perhaps Monique had a point.

Brick had quit the team because he wanted to expand his horizons, and he had done exactly that. Justine had helped him focus more on academics, even if she was a bit overbearing for a while, and she had introduced him to the fascinating world of robotics. Kim and Ron had given him a taste of adventure, of fighting for the cause of justice. That could also be fun, although Brick wasn't sure if he had any interest in dong it full time. Especially not if facing off against giant robots and flying monsters was a regular occurrence for the two teen heroes.

All in all, the more Brick tried new things and branched out, the more he realized that he had been letting his insecurities get to him. Letting other people define him. Going out with Justine had shaken up his self-image. Dating someone like her had forced Brick to ask himself who he really was.

Most of his classmates always seemed to assume that Brick was a bit on the dumb side. Going out with Justine had convinced Brick that he would never be a genius on her level, but at the same time, he felt more comfortable about his own intelligence. He knew that he just hadn't been applying himself enough. Brick didn't mind if he never got a PhD in physics or made a groundbreaking invention. He doubted he would be interested in doing those things in the first place.

Brick's classmates had always pegged him as a jock, too. On that count, perhaps they were not not so far off. After being off the team for so long, Brick was realizing just how much he loved and missed football. It didn't make much sense to stop doing something he loved just because he felt like it was pigeonholing him. Football didn't pigeonhole him, after all – his classmates did. And if they wanted to assume he was just a jock, let them.

Brick was a jock, after all. But not just a jock. As he shooed Rufus away and took a bite out of his Naco, Brick wondered what else he was. He could only come to one conclusion.

He was Brick Flagg.

XX

* * *

_**Notes:**_

_This could technically be the end of the story - the last few lines were about what I had in mind as an ending for a while now.  
_

_However, I wanted to address a couple things a little bit more, and I felt like I wanted a little more interaction between the characters, so I've also got an epilogue chapter coming up soon, and then that will be it. Oh, and I hope somebody recognizes the _Arrested Development_ reference in this chapter, hehe._

_Hope you guys have enjoyed the story! One chapter to go!_


	26. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

XX

**Later That Summer**

A folding card table stood in the fresh-mowed back yard of the Flagg residence. Draped over the table was a red and white checkered tablecloth, on top of which a mosquito-repellent candle burned. The smell of charcoal wafted through the air, rising up from a grill which stood next to the house's back door. The smell of grilled beef rose up from a plate of hamburgers placed on the checkered tablecloth.

Brick Flagg picked up his cheeseburger and took his first bite. It was delicious. His father knew how to make some amazing cheeseburgers. Brick decided he would have to invite Ron over for dinner sometime in order to see just how strong his friend's love of Nacos really was.

"Good?"

Brick nodded to his father, who was across the card table, taking a first bite of his own burger.

"Why'd they go inside, anyway?" asked Mason.

Brick did not need to give his father an answer; just after Mason asked the question, the Flanners reappeared from the back door of the house and returned to the card table. Leona Flanner carefully placed a fork and knife beside her plate, and passed a two more pairs to Ted Flanner and her daughter Justine. They began to slice their burgers into pieces as Mason watched them incredulously. Justine noticed her boyfriend had a similar expression as she sat beside him at the table and cut into her cheeseburger. She stuck out her tongue in reply.

"This is a very good cheeseburger," said Leona.

Mason nodded. He didn't like to brag, but he knew how good his burgers were. "It'd be better if you ate it with your hands, you know."

Leona sighed good-naturedly and put her silverware down. She adjusted her hair, making sure it was set in her hair band, as if she was afraid it would fall over the burger otherwise. Mason had not seen Justine's mother wearing a hair band before – he wondered Justine had gotten the style from her mother. Leona eyed the burger as if she was staring down an opponent, and finally grabbed it.

"My hands are going to be greasy!" she protested with a laugh.

Mason nodded in the direction of a pile of napkins he had placed in the center of the table.

Ted Flanner felt a brief pang of some kind of strange masculine insecurity as he watched his wife eating the burger with her hands, and decided to follow her example. "So," he said to Mason as he picked up his burger, "I hear you guys are making good progress on Middleton High School?"

"Yep. I'm sure Brick and Justine are real excited to know they'll be back in their regular school and taking classes by the time next semester rolls around."

Justine nodded with genuine excitement, at which Brick could not help but laugh. "Yeah, I guess so," he said. "I still can't believe we had to keep taking classes to finish up last semester, though. I think near-death experiences with giant genetic hybrids and monkeybots should give us at least a semester's worth of free A's, right Justine?"

"You have to work for your A's, Brick."

"Pfft. I bet Ron would agree with me."

Justine smirked. "That's because Ron's grades are as bad as yours! I bet you two are just going to play football all the time next semester and skip your classes."

"Not if you're on my case about homework all the time," teased Brick.

"True."

Justine was also following her parents example and eating the cheeseburger with her hands. She reached for a handful of napkins; clearly she had not yet developed her hand-eating skills to the same extent as Brick or his father. "I'll try not to be too hard on you though," she added as she wiped her fingers.

"You're gonna be watching some of our games, right?"

Justine pursed her lips. "Hmm. Only if you take your shirt off sometimes."

All heads at the table jerked as Leona coughed loudly, dropping her cheeseburger onto her plate. Ted patted his wife on the back after she coughed several more times. "You okay, honey?"

"Oh yes. I'm fine, dear."

All the talk about football reminded Mason of a conversation he had with Steve Barkin the other day when he was working on the new high school's construction. He and Steve Barkin had struck it off together – Barkin was a little high strung, but Mason liked the man all the same. Barkin apparently had some awareness of Mason's college football career, and Mason enjoyed talking football with Brick's coach and sharing old stories. The other day, however, Steve Barkin had given him a proposition.

"Hey Brick," said Mason as he finished his burger.

"Yeah?"

"How would you feel about me being coach of the football team next school year?"

Brick stared at his father blankly. He wasn't sure what to say - maybe it was a trick question.

"I was talking to Mr. Barkin the other day," Mason continued, "and he said he was thinking of taking over some classes full time because of their teacher shortage, which would mean that he'd be dropping his coaching responsibilities. He thought I might be a good replacement. I could teach shop class, too. Basically it sounded like they want all the help they can get at the high school."

Mason had wondered why the school had such a problem with recruiting teachers when Barkin had been talking to him, but he supposed it made sense, in a way. Middleton did seem to be an epicenter of supervillain activity.

"Yeah," said Brick cautiously. "That would be cool."

"You mean it?"

Brick had just finished his own burger, and the candle in the center of the table burned more brightly as evening began to set in. It looked like the meal was drawing to a close. Brick was a little freaked out by the idea of his father being his teacher, but as he thought about it for a moment, he decided it might not be so bad. It would take some getting used to, but Brick knew it would make Mason happy.

"Yeah, dad. I mean it. I think you'd be a good coach for the team."

Mason smiled. He was hoping his son would not be freaked out by the idea of being taught by his old man. As far as Mason was concerned, getting a more stable job than construction and being with his son at the same time was pretty much an ideal situation.

Brick and Justine got up as their parents began to gather the empty plates from the table. Brick checked his watch.

"Hey pop, I think it's about time for me and Justine to go to that party."

"Alright, just don't be coming back at six in the morning and waking me up."

"Sure."

Leona gave Justine a severe look as she gathered a handful of plates and utensils. "Justine, try to be back by-"

Leona was about give Justine her usual curfew warning, but she paused for a moment. Perhaps she could relax a little bit. Brick had been going out with her daughter all summer, and Leona had to admit that her opinion of Brick was changing. He was always very polite, and while Justine did not have the same single-minded focus on academics that she used to have, she had not yet left home dressed in leather to hop on a motorcycle with her boyfriend.

"Just try not to be too late, Justine."

"Sure mom."

Leona and Ted gave their daughter a hug as she and Brick took their leave, walking around the side of the house towards the street out front. The two teens wanted to take a walk to the party and enjoy the evening a bit. Mason took a handful of plates into the house as Justine's parents blew out the table's candle and followed him with the rest of the plates and condiments.

After giving the plates a rinse and putting them in the dishwasher, Mason gestured to the living room.

"So, you guys wanna watch some football?"

Leona suppressed a grimace and put on a smile. Brick's father was a nice enough man, and Leona was trying to loosen up a little. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a nightmare. After all, how long could a football game last? She couldn't imagine it being more than an hour.

"I suppose it's not too late yet," she said, giving Ted's arm a squeeze as she walked over to the couch. "Why not?"

XX

Brick and Justine held hands as they passed through the darkening neighborhood on their way to the party. They passed under a street lamp that hung over a corner, and Brick glanced at his girlfriend's features as they were illuminated by a soft yellow glow. He looked down at the sidewalk, and his lips curled into a faint smile as he watched his girlfriend walking along.

Earlier that summer, Brick had noticed that Justine walked on sidewalks in a peculiar way; she always tried to keep her steps at a regular pattern in relation to the sidewalk cracks. Justine didn't necessarily avoid the cracks, but she seemed to like it when the placement of her steps followed a pattern. Her walking habits forced Brick to keep pace with her, which was why he had first noticed it. Not that Brick minded the affectation; he thought it seemed to fit his girlfriend's personality.

"Why are you staring at me, Brick?"

"What kind of a question is that?" asked Brick, his smile widening to a grin. "Who wouldn't want to look at such a stone cold foxy lady?"

"Oh please."

Justine adjusted her hair band self-consciously. Brick could tell his girlfriend enjoyed his compliment, even if she wasn't going to admit it. The way she fidgeted with her hair band reminded him of Leona Flanner at dinner.

"I saw your mom was wearing a hair band tonight."

"Yes, she wears them sometimes. That's why I first started wearing them. My first hair band was a birthday present from her, when I was a child."

"You think they enjoyed the dinner?"

"Who, my parents? I think so. It seems like they get along with your dad pretty well."

Brick had gotten the same impression, but he was happy to hear Justine confirming it. Justine's parents seemed to be gradually warming up to him, but he was still nervous around them sometimes, and he didn't always have a lot to say to them.

On the day of the battle that destroyed Middleton High School, Brick's father and Justine's parents had talked about having dinner sometime, but scheduling problems had delayed the dinner until tonight. Brick had been anxious at the prospect of having his girlfriend's family over for dinner - even though he knew it was silly, Brick was a little insecure about how the Flanners would view his home when their own house reminded Brick of a meticulously-maintained museum. Fortunately the dinner seemed to be a success.

"So were you weirded out by the idea of your dad being football coach next year?"

Brick nodded. "Yeah, it was kind of a surprise. I think it'll be cool though. I get along with him really well, and I think something like that would really be fun for him."

"That's good," said Justine. "I think I'd be more freaked out than you are if my mom told me she was going to teach math or science next year."

"Oh yeah?"

"Definitely. I mean, I love her, but I think there's such a thing as overexposure."

Brick laughed. He could see where Justine was coming from. It was obvious that she took after her mother, but perhaps her relationship with her parents was more formal than what Brick had with his father. He always thought of Mason not just as a dad, but as a friend. Brick supposed that families came in all shapes and sizes.

The two of them walked in silence for a while, enjoying the sound of crickets chirping in the shadows, until they reached Tara's house. Brick remembered the last time he had been to a party at Tara's house, shortly before he began to date Justine. He seemed to remember that the music was reverberating through the entire neighborhood block last time, but from the looks of things, perhaps this party was a little more subdued.

Tara answered the door shortly after Brick gave it a few knocks. "Hey guys, come on in!" she said as she stepped aside to let her friends enter.

Brick and Justine walked through the foyer and into the living room. The party was definitely more mellow than what Brick remembered last time. A group of people were playing video games while another group played pool, and Brick could make out a few shapes in the back yard, past the sliding doors, but it wasn't anywhere near a wall-to-wall crowd. The atmosphere seemed friendlier, more relaxed. Brick was glad – he had gotten the feeling that Justine was going to the party to humor him, but hopefully she would be okay with staying a little while tonight. It wasn't like Brick was a fan of huge parties himself.

"Seems a little more relaxed," Brick remarked as Tara walked up beside them.

"Oh yes, it's just friends and acquaintances. Bonnie let me take care of everything this time." Tara giggled and pointed to the brunette in question, who was approaching them with Kim's cousin in row. "I think maybe she was a little busy with Larry," the blonde whispered confidentially.

"Hi Brick!" Bonnie said as she walked up to the group. She glanced at Justine and forced an awkward smile. It was painfully transparent, but Brick was still impressed that his ex-girlfriend even made the effort. "Hello Justine. Glad you guys came over."

Larry looked over Brick and Justine as if he was just noticing that they were together. He gave a barely audible snort – Brick wasn't sure if it was derision, or just one of Larry's normal nasal utterances. "I see the two of you are still together after that Robot Rumble incident," he said.

Brick smiled and nodded. He wasn't sure if Larry was being a little condescending, or if it was just social awkwardness. Brick considered pointing out how unusual it was to see Larry and Bonnie together, but he decided it would come off as vindictive, and he was surprised to find that he didn't really have any ill-will towards Larry.

"You know, Larry, I don't think I ever congratulated you. And you, Bonnie."

Larry sniffed, perplexed. "What?"

"For the contest. That robot you guys made totally rocked. You did a good job."

Justine looked up at her boyfriend for a moment as if she was about to object to his charitableness, but reconsidered quickly. "Yes, it was a good fight, Larry," she agreed.

Larry looked flummoxed. "Uh, thank you."

Before their awkward conversation could go any further, the sliding doors at the other side of the living room opened up, letting the smell of grilled meat waft into the party. Tara and Kevin Guberman came into the room – apparently Brick hadn't noticed Tara slip into the backyard while he was talking to Bonnie – and two adults stood behind them. Brick could tell at a glance that they were Tara's parents.

"Hey guys, burgers are ready if anyone wants any!"

Several of the teens who were gathered around the television set leaped up from the couch and carpet, racing each other to get outside. Tonight was burger night, apparently. Brick almost felt obligated to eat one, but he already felt a little bloated from the dinner he had already had with Justine at his house. Brick's love of burgers was vast, but not infinite. There _was_ a limit.

"Tara's parents are here?" asked Brick. He didn't mind, but it was a little surprising nonetheless.

"Yes," groaned Bonnie. "She got in a little trouble for the last party. Something about the mess. Like they can't hire a cleaner! Tara said the only way she could have a party was if her parents were here. It's not worth the humiliation, if you ask me. Lamest party ever. It must be mortifying, can you imagine?"

Brick laughed in response. Clearly, Bonnie had not been involved in planning this party as much as the last one.

"Larry, go get me a burger," ordered Bonnie.

"Yes Bonnie."

As Larry left for the back patio, Brick gave Justine's shoulder a squeeze as he thought about whether to join the pool game or mingle a little. Before he could decide, however, his eyes trailed over the open glass sliding doors and saw a flash of brown out in the darkness of the back yard. Someone was throwing a football.

"Hey Justine, let's go outside for a minute."

"Sure."

Brick edged his way past the crowd of teens that were clogging the exit to the back yard, waiting their turn for a burger off the grill. Tara's parents apparently knew that any good get-together needed some snacks. Brick had to approve of their party planning skills. As he stepped onto the back patio, he noticed who was in the back yard playing catch. Ron Stoppable, and - Eddie Jackson?

"Hey guys, room for one more?"

Brick's question interrupted Ron in mid-pass. The ball flew wildly through the air, knocking a collection of plastic cups and plates from a table on the patio and narrowly missing the grill. Teens ran screaming from the unexpected pigskin pass.

"Oh, hey Brick. Yeah, why not?"

Brick grabbed the ball from the ground and passed it back to Ron. He nodded to Eddie, a little uneasily; Brick had not talked to his old friend and teammate in a little while. Eddie nodded back.

"How's it going, man? Oh, and hey Justine," Eddie added as he waved to Brick's girlfriend, who was leaning against one of the columns that held up the patio's roof.

"Not bad, dude. Playing catch with Ron, huh?"

"Yeah, I heard that he's going to be joining the team next year. And he said you might be thinking about rejoining the team."

"Yeah."

Brick felt a little awkward; he wasn't sure what to make of Eddie at the moment. Despite Eddie's disapproval of Justine, Brick might have mistaken the way Eddie greeted her as almost friendly if he didn't know any better. Eddie's comments about the team were also confusing. Brick knew that if he and Ron tried out for the team, there was a chance Eddie might lose his own spot.

"You don't mind us trying out for the team?" Brick asked him cautiously.

Eddie caught Ron's pass and stood still for a moment.

"I'm not really a good quarterback, man. The team needs you. As for Ron, may the best man get the spot, right?" Eddie laughed and passed the ball back. "Besides, somebody else might quit the team. All of us could end up playing together."

"That's true."

Brick barely caught one of Ron's passes. Ron still needed some practice, but Brick definitely saw potential. His skills could be honed. Not to mention that Ron's running game alone gave him a strong chance to get on the team. As Brick returned the pass, Eddie cleared his throat.

"I'm glad you and Justine made it of that crazy sitch with the monkey dude and the scientist lady. That's what Possible calls it, right? A sitch? Anyways, that looked pretty rough. I was watching it on the news."

Brick nodded. "Thanks man. Believe me, we were pretty glad we avoided turning into dinosaur chow ourselves."

Eddie and Ron both laughed as Brick motioned for them to go long. There wasn't a lot of yard in which to go long, but they made do with what they had. Brick psyched them both out with a few fake passes before he finally let the ball fly through the night air.

The night was young, but Brick was already glad he was at the party. Eddie had never been a close friend to Brick, perhaps because Eddie was a friend of circumstance. Brick noticed some friends were like that – he got to know Eddie because they had both been jocks for a long time, both players on the football team. Their situations had thrust them together.

Nevertheless, Brick had known Eddie Jackson for years. He knew that Eddie could be a stubborn guy, and he began to wonder if perhaps his friend had just been insecure about the way Brick was breaking social rules by going out with Justine. When Brick thought about it, Eddie did sometimes feel a little ashamed of his report cards. He knew he couldn't ask, because Eddie was not the type to be very open about things like that.

And yet, tonight, Eddie seemed to be making an effort. Having a civil conversation, playing catch with Ron, and saying hi to Brick's girlfriend instead of making a disparaging comment or giving her the cold shoulder. Eddie would never apologize openly. But if Brick knew Eddie Jackson at all, he knew this was probably Eddie's way of apologizing. And Brick was happy to accept it.

XX

The party seemed to be dying down, even though Tara's parents were nowhere to be found and hadn't told anyone to leave. Brick thought it was an interesting phenomenon; perhaps larger parties had their own kind of self-perpetuating force, whereas a smaller gathering of various friends and acquaintances broke itself up faster. As he finished a pool game with Justine and a couple of Tara's friends, however, he glanced at his watch and noticed that it was getting a little late.

Brick was glad the pool game was over; he noticed that one of the partygoers in front of the television had just flipped on a repeat of _Murderbots_. The timing was perfect. He was about to ask Justine whether she wanted to go home when Justine grabbed him by the arm and led him over to the couch to watch the episode. Two teens on the couch were taking up all the room. Brick was about to politely ask two intertwined figures to make some room for him when he noticed their familiar red and blond hair.

"Whoa, are we interrupting anything?"

Brick was amused, but he asked his question much louder than he had intended to. Several other people sitting in chairs and on the floor surrounding the television looked back at him.

"Er, no, not at all!" exclaimed Kim as she separated from Ron.

Brick noticed that Ron appeared to have a few faint red lipstick marks, and Kim was beginning blush her own shade of red. Brick gave her a wink. Apparently, her nervous attitude towards taking new romantic steps with Ron had dissipated over the course of the summer.

Brick could tell that Kim was a little embarrassed, so he decided to be charitable and divert everyone's attention to a new subject. "So," he said, "did you ever figure out what Global Justice did with DNAmy's creature?"

Kim shook her head. "Nope. They're pretty tight-lipped about things sometimes."

"Sounds sketchy."

"Totally," said Ron. "You know that when they want to talk to us, they suck us down through these hidden tubes into their underground base?"

"Whoa, that's nuts."

"Kind of makes me a little hesitant about their work offer," laughed Justine. "Maybe I want to stick to above-ground work options. By the way, are they still trying to catch Monkey Fist and DNAmy?"

Kim nodded. "Yeah. As far as I know, that is. Wade's been trying to track them too, but they're been keeping a low profile. Once in a while he gets reports about Monkey Fist's whereabouts, but Monkey Fist always falls back off the radar before long. It's almost like he's trying to run from something. Or someone," she added as an afterthought.

The conversation hit a brief lull, and Brick decided to bring up a new subject that he was dying to hear about.

"So, how about Bonnie and Larry, huh?"

His ex-girlfriend and her apparent beau had taken their leave of the party earlier, and Brick still wasn't sure what to make of the two of them together. If he wasn't mistaken, Brick had seen them holding hands as they left the house.

"Yeah, don't ask me," said Kim.

"Are they together?"

"I think so. Larry sure makes it sound like they are. But then, he's Larry. But I think if Bonnie is willing to be seen with him in public when it's not part of some scheme, they gotta have _something_ going on."

Brick nodded; Kim's logic seemed sound. "Bonnie seems like she's a little domineering towards him, doesn't she? I guess she didn't seem as bad as she was with me, but still..."

"Yeah, I think Larry's kind of into that though."

"Really?"

Kim gave a weak nod, and then shuddered. "You know what? I think I've already said way more than I want to. I don't even want to hear it from Larry, but he tells me everything. At length. In monotone. And I bet that means he's probably telling Bonnie all kinds of embarrassing childhood stories about me, too. Next year could be rough."

"Especially since Bonnie's not on my case anymore," said Justine. "Not to freak you out, Kim."

Kim sighed. "I guess we'll just have to see."

Brick was amused at the way Kim slouched back on the couch in an almost fatalistic manner. He sympathized with Kim, but he got the feeling that maybe Bonnie was lightening up a little. Brick had been surprised when Bonnie teamed up with Larry for the Robot Rumble, and the fact that they were still together was a bit shocking. But then, maybe that was how Bonnie felt when she first saw Brick with Justine. He didn't want to be calling the kettle black, after all.

"By the way, where did Tara and Kevin go?"

Kim flicked her head upwards. "I think they're up in her room, playing chess."

"So _that's_ what they call it," said Ron with a grin. Kim gave him a glare, but her smile betrayed her.

"Her parents don't mind?" asked Brick.

"I don't think so. They're upstairs somewhere too. It looks like they really get along well with Kevin, anyway. He's kind of a goody-two-shoes. But in a good way!" added Kim before she looked too judgmental.

Brick smiled as Justine leaned against him and buried herself into the crook of his arm. The party had died down as several more people left, and the remaining guests were fairly quiet as they watched the television. A pair of particularly vicious robots were hammering at each other repeatedly while the announcers shouted in excitement, although the emotion was somewhat muted by the low volume.

"Hey Brick," said Justine through a quiet yawn, "I was thinking of making another robot for the Robot Rumble when it starts up again during school. What do you think?"

"Sounds good."

"I promise it'll be for fun only. No winning required."

"Sounds even better," Brick said. He leaned down and kissed Justine's hair. He leaned over closer to her ear and whispered, almost imperceptibly: "I love you."

"Love you too," Justine murmured.

Brick felt himself growing a little sleepy as he watched the television through half-lidded eyes. Brick was looking forward to trying out another Robot Rumble with Justine. It had been exciting, after all, and Brick had the feeling that Justine would be giving him more involvement in the process this time.

Brick was looking forward to a lot of things, actually. The new school - at least from what Brick had seen during visits to the construction site with his father - looked almost exactly like the old one, which was a little bit of a bummer. However, Brick got the feeling that there would be much more to do next year.

Some of his upcoming classes actually excited Brick, which was a change of pace. Chess club would continue, and he looked forward to playing with Kevin, Tara, and Justine. Brick had an entirely new group of friends that he had gotten to know at the same time he started going out with Justine. Friends he had picked up while he was trying to figure out who he was, what he wanted. And maybe Brick still had an old friend or two that he thought he had lost.

Having an easygoing nature always made it easy for Brick to talk to people. Despite that, he felt happier with his social life than he ever had before. Brick felt no pressure, no obligation, to associate with certain people anymore. There were no more boundaries, no social rules. At least not in Brick's mind. School would definitely be a lot more fun with people like Kim, Ron, Monique, Tara, and hopefully even Bonnie around.

Something that Brick found even more exciting, however, was that he had found himself. Now that he felt comfortable in his own skin, Brick felt like he could do anything.

At least, anything except beating Ron in a Naco-eating contest.

XX

* * *

**_Notes:_**

_Well, this wraps it up!__ I hope everybody enjoyed_ Just a Jock _- leave a review and let me know what you think._

_I think I will be taking a writing break for a little while now. But then again I said I was taking one before I started this story, and I could not have been more wrong. I have multiple story ideas that I still want to write, but I'd like to try to focus on real life for a bit. So, I guess if you enjoyed this, you should put me on your author alerts so you'll know when I'm writing something new._

Just a Jock_ was fun to write, even though it ended up much longer than I had ever anticipated, and I ended up really liking both Brick and Justine in a relationship and as individuals.__ I suppose not many people want to read a story centered around a minor character though. Which is understandable, I'd probably be skeptical of this story myself if I wasn't writing it, hehe. _

_Just to give an idea, my most popular story so far, _Going Green_, had ~450 hits per chapter on average. _ Just a Jock_ has had ~120 hits per chapter, or about 25% of the readers Going Green had, even though I feel like _Just a Jock_ is a better story overall in terms of plot, characters, and my slowly-becoming-less-crappy writing ability, hehe._

_I want to thank Katsumara and Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro for being so encouraging in their prolific reviews, as well as Gomro Morksopp, history-writer86, Robert Teague, Earl Allison, Darev, It's Joyce and Walky, Muzzlehatch, Charles Gray, Mengsk, xvxAPATHYxvx, Lonestarr, Feudor, Jesse Lee, daccu65, Thurston, King in Yellow, The Enduring Man-Child, CajunBear73 and Neo the Saiyan angel for reviewing. Hopefully I didn't miss anyone. _

_I should also thank campy because his story,_ Mating Games_, influenced the way I wanted to handle Kim and Ron as secondary characters in this story. Even though I think they played more of a role than I expected. And, more obviously, it influenced my choice to pair up Tara and Kevin Guberman. :)  
_

_Also, thanks to Neo the Saiyan Angel for looking over a number of the early chapters for me and giving me advice - if you want unusual pairings by the way, check her stories out - as well as kgs-wy and Penumbrus, and anyone else in the chat I forgot, who have given me advice and suggestions from time to time._


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